20th Century Fox wanted Chris Columbus‘ 2010 film “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief” to kick off a franchise that could contend with “Harry Potter.” Alas, that didn’t happen. Critics had a mixed reception about the feature, and it didn’t do well at the box office either. But the original “Percy Jackson” books remain popular, so it only makes sense for Disney to take a swing at it, this time as streaming series on Disney+.
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Based on Rick Riordan‘s books of the same name, “Percy Jackson & The Olympians” adapts the first in that series again. The story starts with the almighty Zeus accusing young demigod Percy Jackson of stealing his thunderbolt, leading Percy and his best friends to clear their names and restore order to the world.
Walker Scovell leads the show’s ensemble cast as Percy Jackson, with Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri as his best friends, Annabeth and Grover. The series also stars Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Matzoukas, Megan Mullally, Timm Sharp, and Dior Goodjohn. Charlie Bushnell, Adam Copeland round out the main cast. Guest stars throughout the eight-episode series include Olivea Morton, Suzanne Cryer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lance Reddick, and Jessica Parker Kennedy.
Riordan and Jon Steinberg create “Percy Jackson And The Olympians.” The pair also lead the show’s executive producing team along with Dan Shotz and Rebecca Riordan. Other executive producers on the series include Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg through The Gotham Group, as well as James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Ander Engström, Jet Wilkinson.
The first two episodes of “Percy Jackson And The Olympians” premiere on Disney+ on December 20, followed by new episodes weekly. Watch the latest trailer for the series below.