In the near year since Disney+ launched itself, the streaming platform has become a must-have for fans of the studio’s properties. The Mandalorian was the first major series for the service, and it will return for Season 2 with Baby Yoda later this month. But the studio also plans to extend its MCU on television and adapt a popular YA series fans have been hoping to see reimagined for years. Yes, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians is being developed into an ongoing series.
The author announced he was working with Disney on the series back in May and now he has provided an update on how it has progressed thus far. In the words of Rick Riordan:
It will be live-action television and we are writing the script for the pilot episode right now so we have a long way to go but I am very optimistic and we have a great team together so fingers crossed we're going to have a super run for this show.
Sounds like things are moving right along over at Disney+ on the Percy Jackson series. The first season of the television show will be a long-form adaptation of The Lightning Thief, the first installment in the five-book series. Back in 2010, the bestseller was first adapted into a movie by Harry Potter director Chris Columbus. But behind the scenes, Riordan clashed with the executives making the film and to this day, has yet to watch the movie or the 2013 sequel, Sea of Monsters.
Rick Riordan updated fans on the exciting series during a recent chat with ABC13 regarding the release of his book, The Trials of Apollo -- the finale to a separate YA series called The Tower of Nero. His current series still follows Greek mythology, this series follows Apollo as he takes on a human form on Earth.
The Percy Jackson books follow a 12-year-old boy with dyslexia, who discovers he is a demigod and the son of Poseidon, the Greek God of the sea. Once a confrontation with a Minotaur ends in the death of his mother, Percy joins a summer camp of demigods like himself, who learn to use their gifts. In addition, Percy learns of his greater purpose in the landscape of the hidden Greek mythology world he lives in.
Considering the outcome of Percy Jackson on the big screen, which was left unfinished and disliked by fans of the books, it's great to hear the author is working closely with the writers this time around and is feeling especially “optimistic” about its progress. Though as Riordan expressed, they are still in the early stages of production, so we’ll have to be patient for the time being.
In the meantime, Disney+ is adding a number of movies and television shows for subscribers this month, including your favorite family-friendly Halloween content. Check out what is new to Disney+ in October like The Mandalorian, which premieres on Friday, October 30.
