The halls of Olympus are set to welcome some new gods and goddesses. Following the casting of Barbie‘s Kate McKinnon as Aphrodite, Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians has added three more stars to its divine ranks: Ming-Na Wen (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Jennifer Beals (The L Word), and relative newcomer Hubert Smielecki (Ransom Canyon).
Wen will step into the role of Hera, described as “queen of Olympus, and wife to Zeus. She is the goddess of marriage and family, so the infidelity of Zeus (Courtney B. Vance) rankles her. Regal, maternal and no-nonsense, Hera is the only god besides Zeus who has children who are also members of the Olympian council, which gives her leverage in the family politics.”
Beals, meanwhile, is guest-starring as Demeter, “the goddess of agriculture, the harvest and the cycle of life and death. A respected sister of Zeus, Demeter remembers the war against the Titans very well, and will do what she must to prevent the return of her father Kronos (Nick Boraine).”
Rounding out the list is Smielecki as Apollo, “the dazzling and charismatic god of the sun as well as music, poetry, archery and prophecy. The literal golden boy of Olympus and twin brother to the goddess Artemis, the moon to his sun.”
No premiere date has been announced for Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but filming started last August, a year after production on the second season wrapped. Based on Rick Riordan’s young-adult book series of the same name, the series stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri as the lead trio of Percy, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood, respectively.
The first season was a hit for Disney+, and according to Nielsen, it broke into the top five most-watched original series across all streaming platforms during launch week. Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg serve as creators, while executive producers include co-showrunners Steinberg, Craig Silverstein and Dan Shotz; Riordan and his wife Rebecca Riordan; the Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg; Bert Salke; James Bobin; Jim Rowe; Albert Kim; Jason Ensler; and Sarah Watson.
The upcoming sequel is expected to follow the third book in the series, The Titan’s Curse, which takes the famed demigod and his friends on a dangerous rescue quest into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
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