The death of Lance Reddick was an absolute tragedy. While he wasn’t an A-list star his distinctive look and voice made him incredibly popular with fans and in demand for numerous projects on the big and small screen. Unfortunately, one of those projects, one of the best series on DIsney+, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, lost him as the series was only just getting started, leading to a need to recast the role of the king of the gods, Zeus.
It’s reported in Variety that Courtney B. Vance has been cast to take over the role of Zeus in Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The season is based on the second book in author Rick Riordan's series, called Sea of Monsters.
Courtney B. Vance Is Taking Over For Lance Reddick
Courtney B. Vance is a pretty solid choice to replace Lance Reddick. Vance is also an incredible talent who elevates every project that he’s part of. Whether playing a leading or supporting role in a movie or TV series, he tends to grab your attention. As the king of the gods should.
In an era where the vast majority of steaming series die on the vine and never make it past Season 1, Percy Jackson is without question the biggest reason to have a Disney+ subscription that isn’t attached to Star Wars or Marvel. The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians was incredibly popular and fans breathed a sigh of relief when it was officially confirmed that Season 2 would be coming.
Lance Reddick passed away before two of his major projects, Percy Jackson and John Wick: Chapter 4, ever premiered. It wasn’t known at the time that Season 2 of Percy Jackson was happening, but once it was confirmed, recasting became a priority, alongside adding several additional cast members for Season 2 to portray characters that did not appear in Season 1.
How Zeus Will Fit Into Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Lance Reddick only appeared in the final episode of the first season of the Percy Jackson series, and while Zeus’ role in the Sea of Monsters novel is also limited, it at least has the potential to be a larger role than Season 1.
One of the issues to be dealt with is that Zeus’ daughter, Thalia, who currently exists as a tree that protects Camp Half-Blood, thanks to her dad, has been poisoned, leading Percy to quest for something that is capable of saving her and protecting the camp. This leads to Zeus taking more direct action in the book, so we could see more of Vance than we did of Reddick.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is ultimately about the demi-god main character and his friends, so the gods themselves are never really a focus, that said they are always popping in and out of the story. Even if Courtney B. Vance is only a minor part of the series going forward, he’ll be a welcome addition.
