Credit: 20th Century Studios/DisneyFans of the Percy Jackson movie franchise have been anxiously awaiting any news on the next project based on the popular Rick Riordan novels.
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The Walt Disney Company obtained ownership of the Percy Jackson franchise when they completed their buyout of 20th Century Fox — now 20th Century Studios — and announced in May that a Disney+ streaming series was in the works.
Now, a new report indicates that the upcoming show — which has no official debut date and was not included on Disney’s 2021 release schedule — is going to be a high-budget project that may cost more than the numerous Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe series on Disney’s slate for the next few years.
There are approximately 11 respective Star Wars and Marvel shows in the works, including various Mandalorian spinoffs and Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated WandaVision, dropping in two weeks.
It is certainly interesting that Disney would consider spending so much on a brand new Percy Jackson series that has no prior television presence when shows like The Mandalorian, for example, have proven the demand for more shows within like fandoms like Star Wars.
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It does, however, track with the fact that The Walt Disney Company has undergone major restructuring to focus primarily on streaming, as opposed to theatrical releases. More and more high-budget projects are likely to debut on Disney+ moving forward.
Previously, there have been two Percy Jackson films — Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) — both featuring the acting talents of Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth), and Brandon T. Jackson (Grover).
There is currently no word on whether or not any of the original cast will be back for Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or if it will feature an entirely new line-up.
IMDb has shared some trivia facts about the upcoming show, including the fact that the series is expected to be an adaptation of the Camp Half-Blood series, with Season 1 focusing on The Lightning Thief.
For those unfamiliar with the , the tales focus on a boy who is the son of human and a , drawing heavily from actual and the deities people believed in.
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Another fact reads:
Rick Riordan had planned to enter a semi-retirement and pursue his PhD when Disney approached him about this series. This series in conjunction with the proposed Netflix adaptation of The Kane Chronicles made him reconsider and ultimately delay his plans.