Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Disney Plus Series Breathes New Life into the Demigod Franchise

Highlights

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV series on Disney Plus aims to rectify the errors made in the movies and revert the main characters to their true ages, thereby enabling their authentic growth across numerous seasons.

The show will reintroduce beloved characters not given enough attention in the movies, presenting a seamless and engaging storyline that stays true to Rick Riordan's original vision.

Thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda's participation, there is potential for a musical element in the show, bringing an added level of entertainment and highlighting Miranda's musical abilities.

The Percy Jackson movies made in the 2010s received significant criticism from fans for a variety of reasons. However, there is hope for redemption with the upcoming release of a new series on Disney Plus titled Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The trailer suggests that this series will address many of the mistakes made by the movies and fulfill the expectations of the viewers. As a bonus, fans of the original book series will appreciate the fact that the show is set to be released on December 20, coinciding with the winter solstice, which marks the deadline for Percy's quest to find the real lightning thief.

Original Ages Restored

To begin, the main characters' ages have been reverted back to their original preteen stage instead of being portrayed as 16-year-olds in the movies for no apparent reason. Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri will assume the roles of Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood respectively. As the show progresses, we will witness the characters' growth from 11/12-year-olds to 16-year-olds, just like in the books.

This decision also allows for the inclusion of all subsequent series without the actors aging too quickly for the storyline. The original PJO book series consists of five books, and there are currently interconnected book series set in Rick Riordan's universe. Particularly noteworthy is the series that directly follows PJO, called Heroes of Olympus, where Percy and his friends encounter Roman demigods instead of Greek ones. Additionally, there are companion books to the original series that could be adapted into special episodes or standalone shorts.

Return of Fan-Favorite Characters

The next life raft that the show is providing is the introduction of beloved characters that the movies overlooked. Notable among them are Ares, the god of war, and Mr. D, Dionysus, the bereft director of Camp Half-Blood. While the sequel movie attempted to introduce characters that were omitted from the original, such as Hermes and Clarisse, their forced and rushed storylines in the second movie were a result of lacking proper introductions in the first film. Suddenly, viewers were expected to care about the backstory of characters they had never met before, as they were not even mentioned in the first movie. Fortunately, most of these characters are already cast and present in the first season of the show, offering hope for a more organic introduction to these characters, just as Rich Riordan intended.

Re-established Original Storyline

When it comes to storylines, they were also left out of the movies. The books followed an overarching prophecy that guided their plot, in addition to a separate prophecy for each individual book's journey. However, characters like Mr. D and the Oracle of Delphi did not even make an appearance in the first movie. As a result, the overarching prophecy receives only a brief mention in the sequel film, along with the specific prophecy for that particular story.

Musical: Maybe?

Furthermore, one of the major reasons why Percy's existence comes as such a shock is due to the fact that the "Big Three" - Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon - had previously made a pact to refrain from having children. This decision was made in order to prevent the catastrophic consequences that would occur every time one of them fathered a child, leading to literal World Wars. Interestingly enough, all three of them eventually broke this agreement. Surprisingly, the movies never acknowledge or address this crucial piece of information, even though it essentially forms the crux of the entire story. However, by presenting the story in a series format, viewers can now receive the necessary exposition at a more natural pace, allowing for maximum effectiveness.

With Lin-Manuel Miranda cast as Hermes, there is a potential for the show to incorporate a musical element. This should come as no surprise, considering it is a Disney production and considering the existence of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical as a reference. Miranda's reputation alone suggests that even without a specific musical number, he may heavily influence the score of the show. This would undoubtedly make a significant impact, drawing from his previous works such as Hamilton and Moana.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians will be released on Disney+ on December 20, 2023.