Posted in: Disney+, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: 21st Century Studios, bleeding cool, books, cable, disney, Fox 21 TV Studios, Lighting Thief, novels, percy jackson, Percy Jackson & The Olympians, streaming, television, tv

Percy Jackson Series In Development for Disney+

Published Fri, 15 May 2020 08:05:37 -0500

by Tom Chang

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One of the most successful youth mythological fantasy adventures will make its way to television in Percy Jackson & The Olympians. The series' author Rick Riordan made the announcement with his wife Becky Riordan over social media. The couple petitioned Disney for an adaptation for the streaming platform Disney+. To garner support, they used #DisneyAdaptPercyJackson as he live-tweeted his meeting with the company. The television series will serve as a reboot of the franchise and have no ties to the films. "We are very excited about the idea of a live-action series of the highest quality, following the storyline of the original Percy Jackson five-book series, starting with The Lightning Thief in season one," Riordan wrote. He assured fans Becky will be involved "in person in every aspect of the show."

Percy Jackson book series to be adapted for Disney+. Image Courtesy of 21 Century Studios.

The Percy Jackson books feature the 12-year old, who discovers he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon. FOX produced the two Percy Jackson films with The Lightning Thief in 2010 and Sea of Monsters in 2013. Chris Columbus, who helped bring early success to the Home Alone and Harry Potter franchises, directed the 2010 film. Thor Freudenthal directed its sequel. Both films combined for $423 million worldwide gross at the box office. Sea of Monsters broke $200 million but underperformed compared to The Lightning Thief. It helped The Lightning Thief contained higher profile supporting cast in Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano, and Uma Thurman. The films starred Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, and Jake Abel. Despite the films' success, Riordan took exception to the adaptations.

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Hey Percy Jackson fans, for the past decade, you've worked hard to champion a faithful on-screen adaptation of Percy Jackson's world. Some of you have even suggested it would be a great series for Disney+. We couldn't agree more! We can't say much more at this stage but we are very excited about the idea of a live-action series of the highest quality, following the storyline of the original Percy Jackson five-book series, starting with The Lightning Thief in season one. Rest assured that Becky & I will be involved in person in every aspect of the show. There will be much more news in the future, but for now, we have a lot of work to do! Buckle up, demigods. It's going to be a fantastic, exciting ride!

A post shared by Rick Riordan (@rickriordan) on May 14, 2020 at 12:01pm PDT

The Percy Jackson series sold over 30 million copies in the US and translated into over 42 languages. Titles of the third, fourth, and fifth books are "The Titan's Curse", "The Battle of the Labyrinth", and "The Last Olympian". The author also wrote "The Demigod Files", "The Ultimate Guide", "Demigods and Monsters", and "The Demigod Diaries" to complement the novels. The upcoming TV series will be produced by FOX 21 TV Studios, according to Deadline Hollywood.

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