Directed by Chris Columbus from Rick Riordan fantasy novel, the initial Percy Jackson film was released in 2010 and likely was going to trigger the next page-to-screen teen-lit sensation - a worthy successor to Harry Potter. And while The Lightning Thief earned $226M at the global box office, only $88M of that came from the States. Perhaps audiences suffered Potter fatigue? Or maybe they just weren’t that familiar with Mr. Jackson. Well, they’re going to get another shot.
Variety claims that original Percy Jackson stars Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario are on board for a sequel, subtitled The Sea of Monsters, and that Douglas Smith is in final negotiations to join the ensemble in an as-yet-to-be-determined role. Smith’s best known for his role in HBO’s Big Love, though he can also be seen in the upcoming features The Boy Who Smells Like Fish and Antiviral.
Thor Freudenthal (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) will helm this second Percy Jackson movie, which finds the son of Poseidon on a quest to discover the lost Golden Fleece, which legend says is located in the titular Sea of Monsters. The trade says Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski drafted the latest version of the script, while Columbus has shifted into a producer’s role.
Hopefully audiences caught up with the first Percy Jackson on home video or cable, but for family adventure, it was far better than expected and deserved a much larger crowd. Columbus has his limitations as a filmmaker, but his genre of choice is kid-friendly entertainment. If he isn’t going to direct, Freudenthal is a great substitute. The sequel is eyeing a March 26, 2013 release date, so expect more casting decisions soon.
