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Credit: Disney+Back in 1937, a significant milestone was reached by The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Pictures when they introduced Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, their very first full-length animated feature film, to the world. This groundbreaking achievement in the realm of cinema signified a milestone in the industry, solidifying Disney’s reputation as a trailblazer in the realms of storytelling and artistic brilliance.
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As of late, the company has been known to frequently rely on reboots and remakes of their classic tales — take the recent The Little Mermaid (2023) reboot starring Halle Bailey, Aladdin (2019) directed by Guy Ritchie, and even Tom Hanks-centric Pinocchio (2022). Now a new remake will join the Disney slate — though this time, it might take on a different approach to the standard Disney classic reboot.
Disney’s Latest Remake of Godly Proportions
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is set to be a fresh addition to Disney+ (Disney Plus), the streaming platform owned by The Walt Disney Company. This Disney+ Original series is an adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved “Percy Jackson” book series, and a reboot of an earlier film franchise of the same name, coming to the streamer December 20, 2023. The narrative begins at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), and centers around a young Percy Jackson as he embarks on a surprising hero’s journey — eventually joining Camp Half-Blood, a unique camp catering to young half-Olympians, offering them a place to develop and refine their divine abilities. These “half-bloods” are the offspring of mighty Greek gods like Zeus and Poseidon from Mount Olympus — of which Percy discovers he is one.
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However, perhaps more widely recognized is the film adaptation produced by 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) based on these books. It all began with Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) directed by Chris Columbus. Starring Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson and Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase, the movie received mixed reviews. The sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013), also failed to impress, effectively bringing an end to the film franchise under the Fox banner.
The Percy Jackson series is about to embark on a new journey within the Disney universe, offering the franchise a fresh lease on life. The series is now ready to make its debut, with casting beginning all the way back in 2021. The three young leads include Walker Scobell (The Adam Project), portraying Perseus Jackson AKA Percy Jackson, Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood, and Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase.
In addition to these main characters, several other noteworthy actors have been announced. Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson, Glynn Turman as Chiron/Mr. Brunner, and Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus/Mr. D. Megan Mullally takes on the role of Alecto/Ms. Dodds, while Timm Sharp is Gabe Ugliano, Dior Goodjohn is Clarisse La Rue, Charlie Bushnell is Luke Castellan, and Adam Copeland is Ares.
Guest appearances feature Olivea Morton as Nancy Bobofit, Suzanne Cryer as Echidna, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa, Jay Duplass as Hades, Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus and even the renowned Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton (2020), Encanto (2021), and Moana (2016) fame as Hermes. Toby Stephens plays Poseidon, and Jason Gray-Stanford is also part of the cast in an undisclosed role.
Lance Reddick portrays Greek god Zeus, marking his final television appearance following his passing in March 2023.
Disney Slammed By Fans Following Promo Reveal
Recently, the official Disney+ Twitter (now X) account shared an enticing new first look at the upcoming Percy Jackson television series — and this seemingly standard (albeit quite cool-looking GIF-style animated image) garnered a surprising response from franchise fans:
A storm is coming.
#PercyJackson and the Olympians, an Original series, premieres December 20 on #DisneyPlus.
A storm is coming.#PercyJackson and the Olympians, an Original series, premieres December 20 on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/8gacUuATKp
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) September 18, 2023
Standing up against the Disney corporation, fans are speaking out about how Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently unable to have a regular promotional period — and they are demanding better from Disney.
User @beingabookwyrm admits that the moving image is cool — but that it would be way cooler if the actors and writers could actually promote the show in the first place:
this is very cool!!!! now come back to the table to end the strikes so that the actors and writers can promote this 💙
this is very cool!!!! now come back to the table to end the strikes so that the actors and writers can promote this 💙 https://t.co/w4ZuaWrrHw
— Bezi || Black Bookwyrm Reads (@beingabookwyrm) September 18, 2023
The current Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes for fair pay and treatment from the big Hollywood studios.
Disney CEO Bob Iger with a multimillion dollar take-home pay has been under the spotlight for much of the concurrent writer’s and actor’s strikes, and now fans are frustrated that Disney are allowing their shows to lose out — just to retain a fraction of the money they make instead of paying their creative employees. @MoTheBad addresses Iger directly:
Bob Iger, pay the people. Let my kids promote their hard work.
Bob Iger, pay the people. Let my kids promote their hard work. https://t.co/o9v5KLUVEn
— mo is reading 🤍 (@MoTheBad) September 18, 2023
Meanwhile @ExquisiteWill calls out the association of Hollywood studios refusing to pay writers and actors — of Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP):
.@AMPTP PAY THEM!
.@AMPTP PAY THEM! https://t.co/lSvHbQCyAh
— Exquisite Armantè (@ExquisiteWill) September 18, 2023
With the chance to finally see a faithful adaptation of these beloved books, fans are more than eager to see the demigod Percy Jackson and his friends in action, battling famous Greek heroes and creatures from Greek mythology. They’re so dedicated that they’re willing to call Disney out for it.
Clearly, fans are more than frustrated. The future of Hollywood is set to continue like this in the near future — with no promotions, interviews, or new seasons or TV — until studios come to the table.
What do you think of fans standing up against Disney, in support of the cast and writers of Percy Jackson? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Rick Riordan’s series known as the “Percy Jackson” or “Camp Half-Blood Chronicles,” targeting middle-school readers, commenced in 2005 with the release of the first book, “The Lightning Thief.” This initial success paved the way for subsequent installments, including “Sea of Monsters” (2006), “The Titan’s Curse” (2007), “The Battle of the Labyrinth” (2008), and “The Last Olympian” (2009). Rick Riordan also authored two additional series set in the same universe, namely “The Heroes of Olympus” and “The Trials of Apollo.”