Development on the series began in May 2020, following a pitch by Riordan to Disney Branded Television. Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz were announced as showrunners in July 2021, with James Bobin hired to direct the first episode in October. Scobell was cast in the lead role in January 2022, with Jeffries and Simhadri joining the cast in May. By September, Anders Engström and Jet Wilkinson were also set to direct multiple episodes of the series. Filming began in June 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and concluded in February 2023, with additional cast members revealed throughout 2022 and 2023.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians premiered on December 19, 2023, on Disney+, with the first season consisting of eight episodes. It has received positive reviews from critics, who largely praised its faithfulness to the source material, worldbuilding, and cast performances, particularly Scobell's. The series was renewed for a second season in February 2024, which will adapt the second book of the series, The Sea of Monsters, and is set to be released in 2025.
Premise
In the first season, twelve-year-old demigodPercy Jackson is accused by the Greek god Zeus of stealing his thunderbolt and races to find it and restore order to Olympus.[1] In the second season, Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood a year later, where he learns that it is under threat from the forces of Kronos and Grover has gone missing, and must venture into the Sea of Monsters to find the Golden Fleece.[2][3]
Glynn Turman as Chiron / Mr. Brunner, a centaur disguised as Percy's Latin teacher.[10] While the character only pretends to be disabled to disguise himself among humans by using a magical wheelchair, the character has a disability in the form of a brace in his hind left leg as a war injury. The creators made this change to address disability, though they noted it would be "just a detail" during the first season[11]
Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano, Sally's husband and Percy's stepfather. Executive producer Rebecca Riordan stated that his abusive behavior, present in the book, was toned down for the show as its cruelty would be a lot more obvious on screen than on the page, and "this isn't supposed to be a horror show".[12]
Andrew Alvarez as Chris Rodriguez, a son of Hermes and Luke's half-brother[13]
Timothy Simons as King Tantalus (season 2), a spirit from the Fields of Punishment, a son of Zeus, and the interim Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood cursed with eternal hunger and thirst ever since he revealed the Olympians' secrets and cooked his son to serve to the Olympians[16]
Tamara Smart as Thalia Grace, a powerful and rebellious daughter of Zeus who was turned into a tree after sacrificing herself to save Annabeth, Luke, and Grover (season 2)[17]
Guest
Manoj Sood as Percy Jackson's second grade principal[18]
Olivea Morton as Nancy Bobofit, a blunt teacher's pet who relishes tormenting Percy[9]
Hiro Kanagawa as the unnamed headmaster of Yancy Academy.[18] Kanagawa also portrays Kronos' headmaster form in a dream in "We Take a Zebra to Vegas".
Simon Chin as Eddie, the building superintendent of the apartment building that the Jacksons live in
Threnody Tsai as Sarah, a wheelchair using demigod and skilled archer[13]
Kathleen Duborg as Helena, a dryad and maternal figure for Grover[13]
Sandra Bernhard as Anger (season 2), one of the three Grey Sisters who operate an Olympian taxi service in the Greater New York City area[28]
Kristen Schaal as Tempest (season 2), one of the three Gray Sisters who operate an Olympian taxi service in the Greater New York City area[28]
Margaret Cho as Wasp (season 2), one of the three Gray Sisters who operate an Olympian taxi service in the Greater New York City area[28]
Series author Rick Riordan makes cameo appearances as a teacher in the headmasters' office at Yancy Academy and as a statue at Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium.[29][30]
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson goes on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he is given a sword in the form of a ball-point pen by Mr. Brunner, his Latin teacher. Percy accidentally 'pushes' his class bully Nancy Bobofit into a water fountain, catching the attention of algebra teacher Mrs. Dodds, who reveals herself as a Fury, Alecto. Percy unintentionally strikes and vaporizes Alecto with the sword but finds that everyone else has seemingly forgotten her. Percy is expelled from his school and returns home to his stepfather Gabe Ugliano and mother Sally Jackson. Percy and Sally head to their cabin in Montauk, New York, where Sally tells her son that Greek gods and monsters are real. Percy's class friend Grover Underwood, inadvertently revealing himself as a satyr, arrives and tells Sally to move Percy to Camp Half-Blood. The three are attacked by a Minotaur on their way, and the Minotaur seemingly kills Sally, which causes Percy to kill it in anger while breaking its horn. He collapses upon reaching camp and is greeted by Chiron, a centaur.
2
"I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom"
James Bobin
Rick Riordan & Jonathan E. Steinberg
December 19, 2023 (2023-12-19)
Percy wakes up in the camp's infirmary. He meets Mr. D, the camp director, and learns that Mr. Brunner is actually Chiron. Chiron instructs Percy to stay in the Hermes cabin until his godly parent claims him. Percy meets several other campers, including Luke Castellan and Clarisse La Rue. Clarisse and her friends attempt to dunk Percy's head in the toilet, but Percy unknowingly repels them with his water powers. Annabeth Chase recruits Percy into her team for a game of capture the flag. Luke tells Percy about how he and Thalia Grace had recruited Annabeth and set off for camp, but only he and Annabeth made it. Capture the flag begins, and Percy repels an attack by Clarisse and her friends. After her team claims victory, Annabeth pushes Percy into the lake. The water heals his wounds, and Percy is then claimed by Poseidon, to the surprise of much of the campers. Soon afterward, Percy is told that Zeus has accused him of stealing his Master Bolt and that war will break out if it is not returned within a week. When Grover tells Percy that Sally is still alive, Percy decides to embark on the quest.
Percy receives a prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi, which appears to confirm that the Master Bolt is with Hades in the Underworld beneath Los Angeles. Chiron asks Percy to choose two other campers to accompany him on his quest, and Percy chooses Annabeth and Grover. Before leaving, Percy also receives a pair of winged shoes from Luke. The three begin a cross-country bus trip and are attacked by Alecto, having previously reformed, and Tisiphone in New Jersey. They manage to escape and find the home of Medusa. She tries to convince Percy that she is not a monster but rather a victim of the whims of the gods and asks him to betray his friends in exchange for help in saving his mother. The trio then work together to decapitate Medusa. Percy uses Medusa's head to petrify Alecto. After disagreements with Annabeth and Grover, Percy reveals to them that the prophecy said that he would be betrayed by a friend. The three then clarify themselves, and Percy decides to send Medusa's head to Mount Olympus.
4
"I Plunge to My Death"
Anders Engström
Jonathan E. Steinberg & Joe Tracz
January 2, 2024 (2024-01-02)
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover continue west on a train. Annabeth recounts running away from home and being found by Luke and Thalia. The next day, the trio discover that their cabin was ransacked by a woman, who reveals herself as Echidna and is training a young Chimera that poisons Percy. After the train arrives in St. Louis, the trio seek refuge inside the Gateway Arch, as it is a monument to Athena. Percy begins to deteriorate from the poison, so Annabeth decides to bring him to the top of the Arch in order to seek help from Athena. Annabeth then learns from Echidna's monster language that Athena was embarrassed after Medusa's head arrived on Mount Olympus and has allowed Echidna and the Chimera to enter the Arch. Percy decides to stay behind and allow Grover and Annabeth to escape. After an unsuccessful battle with the Chimera, Percy falls from the Arch and plummets toward the ground. A waterspout made by Poseidon then pulls him into the Mississippi River. While struggling underwater, Percy encounters a Nereid who helps him realize that he can breathe underwater.
5
"A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers"
Jet Wilkinson
Rick Riordan & Jonathan E. Steinberg
January 9, 2024 (2024-01-09)
Annabeth spots Atropos cutting a thread signifying an impeding death before she and Grover reunite with Percy. Percy tells them that they need to meet with Poseidon in Santa Monica before learning that the three of them have become wanted criminals due to the events on the train and at the Arch. The trio then encounter Ares, who offers to assist them if Percy and Annabeth recover his shield from Waterland. The two find the shield inside a tunnel of love, but Percy has to become trapped on Hephaestus's golden throne for the shield to release. Annabeth convinces Hephaestus to free Percy. Afterwards, Hephaestus tells Annabeth that he will put in a good word to Athena. Ares gives the trio a backpack with supplies and brings them to a zoo delivery truck bound for Las Vegas, where they can get assistance from Hermes at the Lotus Casino. Grover then tells Percy and Annabeth that he knows who stole the Master Bolt based on his conversation with Ares.
6
"We Take a Zebra to Vegas"
Jet Wilkinson
Jonathan E. Steinberg & Joe Tracz
January 16, 2024 (2024-01-16)
After Percy eavesdrops on a dream where a mysterious voice presenting as his headmaster from Yancy Academy talks to the lightning thief, the trio arrive in Las Vegas and inform Luke via Iris Message that Clarisse might be the thief. At the Lotus Hotel and Casino, Grover finds a family friend named Augustus who says that he found Pan, and Percy and Annabeth find Hermes, who refuses to help them for various reasons. They then realize that they have unknowingly been inside the casino for days due to the air inside the casino containing lotus fruit. After reuniting with Grover, they find Hermes's car and the directions to the Underworld he left them. They are brought to Santa Monica Beach by the car. In the water, Percy learns from a Nereid that his quest's deadline had passed and his father left to prepare for war. Percy vows to continue his quest and is provided with four pearls to escape the Underworld.
7
"We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of"
Anders Engström
Andrew Miller
January 23, 2024 (2024-01-23)
In a flashback, Sally brings Percy to a new school. Overwhelmed due to Percy struggling with abandonment and beginning to see mythical creatures, Sally contacts Poseidon, who dissuades her from taking Percy to Camp Half-Blood so he can forge his own identity. In the present day, Percy confronts Procrustes and gains access to his secret passage into the Underworld. The trio encounter Charon, who summons Cerberus. Annabeth tames the dog, allowing them to escape, but Grover realizes that he lost his pearl. In the Fields of Asphodel, Annabeth becomes stuck and has to use her pearl. After reaching Tartarus, Grover is nearly pulled into the pit by the flying shoes, with Percy then discovering the Master Bolt in his gifted backpack. Percy and Grover continue to Hades's Palace, and Hades offers to return Sally if Percy returns his Helm of Darkness, which was also stolen. Percy realizes that Kronos organized the thefts, due to his longstanding grudge against his children. Hades offers to protect them in exchange for the Bolt. Percy refuses, but promises to recover the Helm. The two use their pearls and are brought to Montauk, where they reunite with Annabeth before being confronted by Ares.
8
"The Prophecy Comes True"
Jet Wilkinson
Craig Silverstein
January 30, 2024 (2024-01-30)
In a flashback, Percy and Luke practice sparring and discuss how the gods operate. In the present day, Percy challenges Ares to a fight with the first to draw blood winning both the Bolt and the Helm. After summoning a wave, Percy slashes Ares who leaves vowing vengeance. Then Percy gives the Helm to a restored Alecto while having her tell Hades to honor their deal. Percy travels to Olympus atop the Empire State Building and returns the Bolt to Zeus, who plans to continue his war. When Zeus is about to strike Percy, Poseidon surrenders and the two agree to inform the council of the threat of Kronos. After Poseidon sends him back to Camp Half-Blood, Percy realizes and then accuses Luke of being the thief since Luke gave him the cursed shoes. After confirming Percy's suspicions and failing to recruit him, Luke subdues him in a fight. However, Annabeth reveals herself, having heard everything, and Luke flees. On the last day of camp, Percy leaves to reunite with Sally, Annabeth leaves to reconnect with her family, and Grover leaves to search the seas for Pan. The trio promises to reunite in a year. Kronos informs Percy in a dream that he is key to his return. In a mid-credits scene, Gabe tries to enlist a lawyer on the phone to help with his divorce with Sally when he opens a returned package containing Medusa's head and is petrified.
In November 2018, Rick Riordan stated that he believed he would have no creative control over a reboot of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians novel series by The Walt Disney Company if it were to happen, much like his experience with the film series with 20th Century Fox.[32] In December 2019, Riordan pitched an adaptation of the novels to Disney,[33] which had acquired Fox in March of that year.[34] By May 2020, a Disney+ series based on Percy Jackson was in the works, with the first season set to adapt the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief.[35] Riordan revealed in March 2021 that searches for the series' directors and cast was underway,[36] with James Bobin being announced as the pilot episode's director in October.[37]Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz were also announced as showrunners in July.[38]
The series was greenlit in January 2022, with Disney Branded Television, 20th Television and the Gotham Group producing the project. Steinberg, Shotz, Bobin, and Riordan were announced as executive producers alongside Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D. J. Goldberg.[1] At the D23 Expo in September, Anders Engström and Jet Wilkinson were revealed to be executive producing the series as well.[39] The same month, Riordan revealed that Engström would direct the third and fourth episodes while Wilkinson would direct the fifth and sixth.[40] The series was reportedly made with a budget of $12 to 15 million per episode.[11]
In February 2024, Disney+ renewed the series for a second season, which will adapt the second book in the series, The Sea of Monsters.[41] In April 2024, Albert Kim was announced as a new executive producer starting with the second season.[42]
Writing
Drafts of the pilot episode were being reviewed by March 2021.[36] In April 2021, it was announced that Steinberg would serve as co-writer and executive producer of the pilot alongside Riordan.[43] The same day, Monica Owusu-Breen, Daphne Olive, Stewart Strandberg, Zoë Neary, Joe Tracz, and Xavier Stiles joined as writers.[38] Each season of the series will adapt one installment of the book series, with the first season being an adaptation of The Lightning Thief.[36] There are also plans to adapt additional material within the franchise for the series.[11] In addition to writing the pilot, Riordan and co-showrunner Steinberg created a series bible for the show, as well as planning the plot for the first season and creating ideas for potential future seasons.[38] The first season consists of eight episodes.[44]
Writing for the second season had begun by March 2023, though Riordan cautioned that it had yet to be greenlit at that point.[45] Plans for future seasons include a further exploration of Chiron's disability.[11]
Preliminary casting began in April 2021.[46] In January 2022, Walker Scobell was cast in the lead role as Percy Jackson, with this being announced in April.[4] The next month, it was announced that Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri would respectively portray Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood, two close friends of Percy.[6] Jeffries' casting received online backlash due to Annabeth not being depicted as black in the novels, which Riordan claimed was racism, and stated, "Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true."[47]Logan Lerman, who played Percy in the film series, praised the casting of Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri in their roles.[48]
Principal photography for the second season began on August 1, 2024, in Vancouver.[54]
Design
Tish Monaghan serves as the costume designer.[55][56]
Music
By October 2023, Bear McCreary had been writing music for the series, after previously working with Steinberg and Shots in the series Human Target, Black Sails and See.[57] Members of the music company Sparks & Shadows, which McCreary was a co-founder of, were involved.[57] The score for the series was released digitally by Hollywood Records on December 22, with Sparks & Shadows credited as composer and McCreary credited with writing the themes.[58]
A teaser for the series was revealed during the D23 Expo in September 2022.[59] Rotem Rusak of Nerdist highlighted how the teaser featured the opening lines of The Lightning Thief,[60] while Kendall Myers of Collider noted the teaser's dark tone.[61] A second teaser trailer for the first season was released on September 19, 2023.[62] The trailer was released on November 16 and was viewed 84.3 million times in the first 10 days across all social media platforms.[63]
The first teaser for the second season was revealed during the D23 Expo in August 2024.[64]
Release
While the first season was initially expected in early 2024,[65][66]Hulu announced episodes would be available to stream beginning December 20.[67] The first season premiered on Disney+ with two episodes on December 19, 2023, a day earlier than previously scheduled.[68] A red carpet premiere event was held in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 13 and at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on December 16.[69][70] Eight episodes[44] were released weekly until January 30, 2024.[71][72]
The second season is scheduled to be available to stream in 2025.[64]
Reception
Audience viewership
In December 2023, Disney announced that 13.3 million viewers watched the premiere episode in its first six days on Disney+ and Hulu.[73] In January 2024, Disney announced that 26.2 million viewers watched the premiere episode after three weeks.[74] The second through fifth episodes each amassed at least 10 million viewers after seven days.[74] In total, the series was streamed for 110 million hours over seven weeks on Disney+ and Hulu.[41] According to Whip Media's TV Time, Percy Jackson and the Olympians was the most streamed original television series across all platforms in the United States during the weeks ending on January 28, 2024, and February 4, 2024.[75][76] Through May 10, 2024, the first season was the most watched Disney+ original series with 23.3% of audience viewership.[77]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 65 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "A faithful adaptation of Rick Riordan's novels, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a lovingly realized odyssey through adolescence and myth."[78]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[79]
Nicole Drum of ComicBook.com wrote "Some of the best casting ever in a television series, fantastic performances, and even the magic of the visuals and world-building, the series is about as perfect a television adaptation as you can get, as if it's been favored by the gods themselves."[80] Matthew Creith of TheWrap praised the writing, describing it as "quick-witted, the action is stellar, and making Percy's journey an episodic tale helps to propel the young character forward in exciting directions."[81] Kathryn Porter of Paste wrote, "From the casting to the writing to the production design, we get the adaptation of The Lightning Thief that we have been wanting for over a decade to see, and there is nowhere to go but up."[82] Aramide Tinubu of Variety wrote, "The series depicts a genuinely inclusive world, showcasing storylines and characters that will captivate fans for the next decade. At long last, Riordan's work has been given the extensive visual adaptation it deserves."[83]
In January 2024, Disney+ announced the behind-the-scenes documentary A Hero's Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which premiered alongside the season 1 finale on January 30, 2024.[98]
Notes
^Prior to being credited as Kronos, Boraine is credited as "Voice in Dream".
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