Credit: Disney+Author Rick Riordan’s beloved YA fiction series, Percy Jackson, has had pretty bad luck with onscreen adaptations. But now, it seems like Disney+ might be setting things right with their upcoming series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and based on new posters showing the main trio unleashing their powers, it’s already living up to the hype.
Related: Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Show Gets Exciting Release Update
Nailing the perfect iteration of Percy Jackson has taken a lot of trial and error. Although the first film series, which kicked off in 2010 with Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, has its cult following, it wasn’t exactly well-received by critics and longtime fans of the novels. Its sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2012), fared even less favorably with audiences, and any planned follow-up films were subsequently abandoned, with the fate of the onscreen universe looking grim.
Even Rick Riordan himself slammed the ill-fated film franchise for putting “[his] life’s work going through a meat grinder” and has since been highly vocal about sharing his frustrations about the previous adaptation attempt online.
Related: ‘Percy Jackson’ Disney+ Series: Everything You Need to Know
Enter Disney, who picked up a brand new series pitched by Riordan in May 2020, which would air exclusively on their streaming platform, Disney+. Now, three years later, we’re finally getting a look at the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which is slated to arrive sometime in 2024.
Considering the show will essentially be a retelling of the books they’re based on, it’s safe to say that readers generally know what will go down in the first season—at least, to our knowledge. The new Disney+ series will feature a more age-appropriate cast, with Walker Scobell playing the titular demigod, Aryan Simhadri playing Percy’s loyal satyr friend, Grover Underwood, and Leah Sava Jeffries playing Annabeth Chase, fellow Camp Half-Blooder and daughter of Athena.
We’ve gotten a few glimpses at the leading cast in recent months, with Walker Scobell’s Percy being highlighted in early promotional images for the show. However, at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, which is currently underway, we got a new look at the crew in the form of stunning character posters, which Disney+’s official Percy Jackson Twitter account released Saturday morning.
Three heroes ready to face their Fates.
Our #PercyJackson. 🌊 pic.twitter.com/LzHi23rphE
— Percy Jackson (@PercySeries) July 22, 2023
Percy is seen holding Anaklusmos, his prized sword, surrounded by nautical imagery referencing his Greek God father, Poseidon. Meanwhile, Annabeth wields a short dagger, towering above an owl embolic of her wise warrior mother. Grover’s satyr horns adorn the bottom of his character poster, while he stands ready to jump to Percy’s defense.
Our Grover Underwood. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/SX6AGes8xp
— Percy Jackson (@PercySeries) July 22, 2023
Based on these posters alone, it looks like we’re in for a much more truthful adaptation of the Percy Jackson series so many young readers grew up with, and it’s exciting to see that this story is being refreshed for the next generation.
While we still have yet to see a trailer, after showing off promotional art at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the Disney+ series is clearly preparing to kick its marketing campaign into gear. With the eight-episode season expected to debut on the streamer in early 2024, it wouldn’t be surprising if the studio drops new footage in the coming weeks, or maybe even days, if they have any other big surprises in store for Comic-Con.
An exact release date remains unknown for now, but considering production on the first season went unscathed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, we can likely expect it to land on Disney+ within the next six months. And who knows? If the House of Mouse manages to get Rick Riordan’s vision right this time, we may expect to see a Season 2 follow closely after.
Are you looking forward to Percy Jackson and the Olympians? Let us know in the comments below.