Fans can check off the Percy Jackson franchise as one of the book-to-film adaptations that deserves, and ultimately received, a reboot, with Disney+ releasing an official teaser of the December-bound TV series. This will mark the second time Rick Riordan’s book series grace screens, the first being a duology of movies (Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters) that most fans would rather forget.
Following two demigods (half-god, half-human), Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, as well as a satyr, Grover Underwood, the novels are set in the world of Greek mythology, where the main trio battles monsters and discovers a prophecy that could preserve or raze Olympus. This first season of the live-action will focus on the events of the first book, Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief.
In a bid to meet and hopefully surpass the high expectations of fans, the upcoming adaptation has brought author Riordan on board, which marks a good start. After all, if there’s anything that Netflix’s One Piece live-action has shown, it is that once the creator gets their hands dirty in production, great things await – something that Riordan and his wife, Becky are confident of delivering.
“We have been involved in the series since its inception, since the very, very earliest conversations about what a new Percy adaptation might look like, how it would be sketched out, whether it would be episodic,” Riordan said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“So, I feel comfortable telling fans of the books who have been waiting — in some cases, decades — for this kind of faithful adaptation, that this is the one you’ve been waiting for. We are involved and I think you’re gonna love it.”
The Percy Jackson book series is known for its long list of characters, so here is a list of who’s who in the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians live-action Disney+ series, from demigods and Greek gods to humans and monsters.
1) Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell)
Imagine your biggest problem goes from telling your mother that you have been kicked out of a costly private boarding school, to the King of the Gods accusing you of stealing his most powerful weapon, the Master Bolt. This drastic turn of events is what awaits Perseus ‘Percy’ Jackson, and it’ll only get worse as he embarks on a quest to retrieve the weapon. In the process of doing so, he has to confront various gods and monsters, with the teaser offering a first look at his future battles against the Furies and the Minotaur.
If there is any need to see whether Walker Scobell (Secret Headquarters, The Adam Project) is the right fit for the loyal, smart-mouthed, and stubborn son of Poseidon, all you need is to watch his performance in The Adam Project, where he played the younger version of Ryan Reynolds’ (Deadpool, Free Guy) character. Plus, he also received the stamp of approval from Riordan himself.
“It was obvious to me and the rest of the team that Walker had the perfect mix of comedic timing, sweetness, rebelliousness, snark and heroism to embody our hero Percy Jackson,” said the author.
Riordan also soothed fans’ worry that some of Percy’s narrative sarcasm will be missed as the book series is translated into a live-action.
“In the books, Percy is always there right by us,” said the author. “He’s our narrator, he’s got this snarky kind of voice and you can’t really do that quite the same on screen. So we had to figure out ways to make that visual.”
2) Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries)
Who better to have on your team than the daughter of Athena? Intellectually and strategically gifted, Annabeth Chase joins Percy on his quest to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods while dealing with her own struggles about her past. Though initially harsh and judgemental, Annabeth eventually warms up to a certain Seaweed Brain, playing a significant role in keeping him alive throughout the story.
After Leah Sava Jeffries’ (Beast, Empire) casting was made public, social media was filled with mixed responses, as the book description of Annabeth places her as a white Californian teenager. In response, Riordan made it clear that his casting was done with a fresh perspective of the world today, and drove home the point about how inclusivity forms the core of the Percy Jackson book series.
“20 years on, it was important that I looked at it again with fresh eyes and made sure that the story was speaking to all kids, and that everyone could look at this series and see themselves. It is inclusive enough that everyone can be a hero — after all, that’s why I wrote the book in the first place,” Riordan emphasised to Entertainment Weekly.
“My son, because of learning differences (ADHD and dyslexia), was feeling like an outsider and this was my way of saying, ‘It’s okay. Difference is a strength. You’re gonna be just fine. And you belong in this world.'”
3) Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri)
Keeping a demigod safe in the human world is not easy, especially when their godly parent is one of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades). Grover Underwood is a satyr (half-boy, half-goat) who has his work cut out for him as he watches over Percy at Nancy Academy and guides him safely to Camp Half-Blood once it becomes impossible to stay in the human world. After all, it isn’t easy to tell your best friend why your legs are now replaced with hooves.
Grover is characterised by his loyalty, sensitivity, and a strong sense of duty as he accompanies Percy and Annabeth on their quest (while advocating for the environment and nature on the side). Despite his penchant for chewing furniture and crying when he is nervous or scared, Grover is determined to do whatever it takes to bring the demigods home safely to atone for the guilt of his last assignment, where he was tasked to guide a child of The Big Three to camp. Unfortunately, this daughter of Zeus did not make it past the camp’s magical borders.
Percy and Grover’s friendship will be worth watching as Riordan revealed in his blog that Aryan Simhadri (Spin, Cheaper by the Dozen) and Walker “already have a great dynamic together”.
4) Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell)
When people say not to trust a book by its cover, they are talking about Luke Castellan – son of Hermes and Head Counsellor of Hermes’ cabin. A complex character who plays nice to Percy in the beginning, he is later revealed to have a deep resentment for the gods (driven by their neglect as parents), and his ambition to overthrow them becomes more apparent.
Charlie Bushnell (Diary of a Future President) briefly appears as Luke in the teaser, heading the charge of the blue-plumed campers in a game of Capture the Flag. However, fans of the books will know that capturing the flag is not the victory Luke has in mind.
5) Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn)
Seen in the teaser leading the red-plumed campers for Capture the Flag, Clarisse La Rue is the aggressive and competitive daughter of Ares, who constantly clashes with Percy. However, her first attempt at hazing the son of Poseidon leaves her soaked in toilet water.
Fiercely loyal to her father, Clarisse will do whatever it takes to bring honour to him and her cabin.
6) Zeus (Lance Reddick)
The King of Olympus is not one to be trifled with, and Percy unluckily becomes the focus of his anger after the Master Bolt goes missing. Zeus accuses Poseidon – whom he already distrusts – of using Percy to commit the theft, as it is forbidden for a god to steal another god’s symbol of power directly.
Threatening to go to war with his father, Percy is forced to embark on a quest across the United States of America to retrieve his bolt – a quest further hampered by the fact that Percy is not able to take a plane in fear that Zeus would blast him out of the sky.
Lance Reddick (John Wick, Resident Evil)’s past performances made it clear to Riordan that it was time for a promotion from Charon to Zeus.
“In all his roles, Lance projects an aura of authority and power that makes him perfect for the king of Olympus,” said the author in his blog. “As I told him when we met, he has so much gravitas he could pull planets out of alignment, and when he makes his displeasure known to Percy Jackson…wow, wait until you see that scene.”
Sadly, Reddick’s portrayal of Zeus is posthumous, as the actor passed away in March, shortly after production concluded in February. Consequently, it is expected that the role of the Greek god will be recast for upcoming seasons.
7) Poseidon (Toby Stephens)
After the events of Capture the Flag in Camp Half-Blood, the Greek god of the Seas does something that none of The Big Three have done in years: claiming a demigod as one of their own. This sparks discord in Olympus as Poseidon’s fathering of Percy violates the Pact of the Big Three, with Zeus accusing Poseidon of using his son to steal the Master Bolt.
To prove Zeus wrong and force an apology from his brother, the Earthshaker sends his son on a quest to retrieve the weapon.
Riordan gave fans, through his blog, an insight into Toby Stephens’ (Lost in Space, Black Sails) portrayal of the King of Atlantis, glowing that the actor was able to play the two different sides of Poseidon when it comes to dealing with his son and his brother.
“Toby is incredible on screen. When he delivered some of Poseidon’s iconic lines, I got chills. And seeing him and Walker together, you can absolutely believe they are father and son. Not many actors have the sheer power to stand toe-to-toe with one another and convince you they are the manifestations of the sky and the sea, about to tear one another apart. Lance and Toby absolutely have that godly aura.”
8) Hades (Jay Duplass)
Percy can’t seem to catch a break as another Greek god accuses him of theft. The Lord of the Underworld believes the demigod stole his symbol of power, the Helm of Darkness, though he keeps it a secret in the belief that none of his godly relatives will lend him their aid.
Hades is a stern and enigmatic figure, resentful of how the rest of Olympus casts him aside. Believing Percy to possess both godly symbols of power, the Rich One takes his mother to the Underworld as a bargaining chip.
9) Ares (Adam Copeland)
The Greek god of War initially appears as an ambiguous character, offering Percy, Annabeth, and Grover aid on their quest to find his father’s Master Bolt. This aid does not come for free, setting Percy and Annabeth to retrieve his shield from the Tunnel of Love in an abandoned Waterland. The teaser shows that this task is not as easy as it sounds, with the two demigods being thrown out of the ride’s boat and into the water.
It is soon revealed that Ares is stoking the fires between his father and uncles, having taken both symbols of power. However, an older power is pulling the Master of Taunts’ strings.
10) Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda)
A Greek god of numerous titles, the Greek god of Travellers being one of them, Hermes offers shelter to the countless unclaimed demigods at Camp Half-Blood. This also means his cabin is usually filled to the brim, and to some demigods, it is a physical representation of their godly parent’s neglect.
After playing the father of the American banking system, Alexander Hamilton, it was time for Lin-Manual Miranda (His Dark Materials, Vivo) to get a role upgrade to play Hermes. His casting announcement surprised fans of the novels as this first season was supposed to follow the storyline of the first book, and Hermes only appears to Percy in the second novel. Riordan cleared this confusion in his blog, highlighting that fans might see other characters earlier in the story.
“Now you book fans may be thinking, “Wait a minute. Hermes doesn’t appear until the second book, The Sea of Monsters.” You are correct. But remember when I told you we are adding new glimpses of backstory, Easter eggs, and other nuances to enhance the narrative while remaining true to the original storyline? This is a prime example. When you see the episode in question, it will make sense why we introduced Hermes early…”
11) Hephaestus (Timothy Omundson)
Meet another Greek god making his live-action debut earlier than in the novels. Could Percy and Annabeth possibly be meeting him after their disastrous experience in the Tunnel of Love to retrieve Ares’ shield? For context, Ares and Aphrodite, Hephaestus’ wife, chose the abandoned amusement park as the location for a romantic rendezvous, but none of them expected the Greek god of Fire to riddle the place with booby traps.
Even though the gods often slight him for his appearance, the Lord of Craftsmen and Smiths hides a kind heart under his gruff exterior.
12) Dionysus (Jason Mantzoukas)
No one hates their job as much as Dionysus. As punishment for chasing an off-limits nymph twice, the Greek god of Wine is sent off by his father to spend a hundred years as camp director at Camp Half-Blood.
Introduced as Mr. D, Dionysus is not impressed with Percy’s parentage and often refers to him as “Peter Johnson”. This is not uncommon for the Greek god to do when referring to his campers. It will be interesting to see Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) bring the snarky, disinterested, and powerful camp director to life.
13) Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull)
Despite being Percy’s mortal parent, Sally Jackson is not just any human. She is one of the few who possess ‘clear-sight’, an ability to see through the Mist – a supernatural force that twists a mortal’s sight from seeing monsters, gods, Titans, and other supernatural occurrences by replacing them with things the mortal mind knows about and can comprehend.
Her ability made her well aware of who her son’s father was and the danger surrounding him. This resulted in her marrying Gabe Ugliano (Timm Sharp) and sending Percy away to a multitude of boarding schools over the years to keep him safe from gods and monsters.
The teaser gives fans a look at Sally telling Percy that the stories she told him of Greek mythology are real, and trying her best to get him to Camp Half-Blood with the Minotaur right on their tail. She will eventually be abducted and used as a bargaining chip, spurring Percy to accept the quest to retrieve the Master Bolt to save her.
14) Gabe Ugliano (Timm Sharp)
Nicknamed “Smelly Gabe”, the adjective sums up the only useful thing about Timm Sharp’s (Beef, Blunt Talk) character. As a child of Poseidon, Percy has a highly potent scent that attracts monsters to his location. So, with a scent described as a “mouldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts”, Gabe is able to mask Percy’s scent and keep him safe from gods and monsters who would seek to kill or capture him.
Sally is well aware of this fact and marries him, taking the abuse in order to keep her son safe. Gabe does get his just desserts in the end when a gift from Percy leaves him petrified.
15) Nancy Bobofit (Olivea Morton)
Clarisse might be Percy’s bully in Camp Half-Blood, but Nancy Bobofit is his tormentor in the human world. Often targeting Grover due to his penchant for crying when scared or nervous, she pushes Percy too far when she dumps her half-eaten lunch into Grover’s lap. A nearby fountain magically comes to life and grabs her, but she blames Percy for pushing her in, which sets up the perfect circumstance for the Fury Alecto to get the demigod alone.
Though she does not play a major role in the novel, she appears in the trailer after smacking Grover in the back of his head with her backpack.
16) Chiron (Glynn Turman)
How cool would it be if you found out your Latin teacher was actually the Trainer of Heroes? Chiron, a centaur with the aid of a magical wheelchair that disguised his horse half, went undercover at Yancy Academy, working alongside Grover to watch over Percy.
He is responsible for giving Percy his primary weapon, Riptide – a sword made of Celestial Bronze, a material that is only deadly to gods, demigods, magicians, Titans, Giants, and monsters. It does not affect mortals, as it just passes through them harmlessly, which he uses in the teaser against Alecto and the Minotaur.
As the activities director at Camp Half-Blood, Chiron is patient and acts as a father figure to his campers, doing his best to train them to survive in a world where they will be hunted down for simply existing.
17) Mrs Dodds/Alecto (Megan Mullally)
Many people think of their maths teachers as monsters; in Percy’s case, this is true… literally. Tasked to confirm Percy’s godly parentage and retrieve the Helm of Darkness, Alecto replaces Percy’s pre-algebra teacher and goes undercover like Chiron and Grover, though with a much more sinister goal in mind.
After Percy is able to manipulate the fountain water to grab Nancy, giving Alecto the confirmation that he is indeed a son of Poseidon, she reveals her true monstrous self to attack him, as seen in the teaser. However, she ends up tasting Celestial Bronze. Fans will likely see her tormenting the trio once they begin their quest, as monsters are able to reform once they are slain.
18) Medusa (Jessica Parker Kennedy)
Meeting your father’s ex-girlfriend is never a fun experience, and Percy, who can never catch a break, meets her in the form of Medusa.
In the teaser, the trio stands before a myriad of statues that look to be frozen in time, and if you know the story of Medusa, then you would be well aware those statues were not always stone. Percy will have to battle Medusa with his eyes closed to escape the fate of becoming a well-detailed piece of garden decor.
19) Echidna (Suzanne Cryer)
Known as the “Mother of All Monsters”, Echidna will meet Percy on his quest to retrieve the Master Bolt and set her son, the Chimera, on him. The books allude to Zeus allowing the demigod to be found, though it seems counterintuitive if he wanted Percy to return his weapon to him.
Seen in the teaser moving menacingly towards someone, and with the next shot seeing Percy falling into the water below, these are likely clips from their fight on the Gateway Arch. It will be amusing to see if, like the books, the Chimera appears as a chihuahua to mortals.
Though Percy Jackson and the Olympians hasn’t aired yet, Riordan is already excited for the future, hyping it up for fans on the possibility of future seasons.
“More later, demigods, but I am pleased to tell you we are in a very good place as we look ahead to a (not-yet-greenlit-but-fully-anticipated) season two!”
Sasha has been a lover of all things geek since before she could read, having driven her mother up the wall in providing geek material as fast as her daughter could get through them. While Fantasy has been her greatest love, Sasha won’t say no to anything Horror, Action-Packed, or Sci-Fi!
Natalie
Trinity Sun
