Failing to be able to make it a successful cinematographic saga, Disney will make a remake of Percy Jackson in series with an all-new cast.
On paper – and paper only – the film Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief had everything to become a successful saga. In 2010, with the exception ofHarry Potter, the young adult adapted on the big screen was still only a nascent phenomenon with the first Twilight. The field was therefore free before the arrival of the franchises Hunger Games, Divergent or The labyrinth which occupied all the space in the following years. With Chris Columbus directing, a $95 million budget, up-and-coming new talent like Alexandra Daddario and Logan Lerman fronting, and established actors like Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean and Rosario Dawson in the cast, the formula seemed all found.
Another idea from hell
But between Pierce Brosnan as a centaur (at the same time he decided to torpedo his career by singing ABBA with Meryl Streep), and all the other problems of the film that would take too long to list, the film was a first disappointment, but not enough either to prevent a sequel from seeing the light of day. On the other hand, the bide of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters three years later has definitively buried hopes for a major new mainstream fantasy franchise.
Rather than attempt a theatrical passage once more, Disney – which recovered the title following the Fox takeover – therefore decided to make aa remake series on Disney+, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The pitch should therefore be quite similar with a teenager who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon and therefore a Greek demigod. With the help of his two friends, Percy should once once more embark on a perilous adventure to prevent the Titans from destroying the world and recover Zeus’ thunderbolt which he is accused of having stolen.
Glynn Turman in The Blues of Ma Rainey
If the preproduction did not give any news for a while, the cast has recently grown with the arrival of three new actors. As announced on the official website of Rick Riordan – the author of the literary saga – Virginia Kull will play Sally Jackson, Percy’s mother camped by Catherine Keener in the first part of 2010. The actress notably played in the series Big Little Lies, The Looming Tower, NOS4A2 and the movie The Empty Man released on Disney+. She will be joined by Glynn Turman (Bumblebee, Super 8) who will lend his features to Mr. Brunner, formerly played by Pierce Brosnan, one of Percy’s teachers who is revealed to be the demigod Chiron. Finally, Jason Mantzoukas (The DictatorThe Disaster Artist) – also known for his dubbing work – will perform the god Dionysus played by Luke Camilleri.
The three will thus give the reply to Walker Scobell who recovered the main role following making himself known on Netflix in Adam through time. Young Aryan Simhadri (dime a dozen) will be the new face of Grover, the satyr, while Leah Jeffries (Empire) will play Annabeth, the daughter of the goddess Athena. No release date has yet been announced.
