Percy Jackson & the Olympians is one of the beloved book series from the 2000s that got a movie franchise deal only for it to go south. The first two books of the adventure and fantasy pentalogy were adapted into movies and were received poorly for the changes the team had made to the story, most of which derailed future storylines and character motivations. This ultimately put a stop to the franchise altogether and the option of a newer adaptation of Percy Jackson & the Olympians was put up in the air.
A successful Broadway musical later, and it seems fans will finally get their wish of a faithful adaptation. In May 2019, writer of the series, Rick Riordan, announced he would be working closely with Disney to bring Percy Jackson & the Olympians to the studio’s streaming platform, Disney+. Though no release date has been shared as of yet, casting has already started and fans are already making long lists of everything they want to see in the upcoming show.
10 Percy & Company Being The Right Age
The age of the characters was one of the biggest reasons the film adaptation didn’t resonate with fans of the series. In the books, Percy starts out as a twelve-year-old that slowly matures into a teenager throughout the rest of his story, but in the films, he’s sixteen years old when he first discovers the truth about his identity as a demigod.
Aging up Percy meant doing the same for his closest friends, and so most of the main children in the books were also turned into teenagers for the film. A casting call for Percy has already been sent out by Disney looking for younger talent, so it seems there’s an improvement on this front already.
9 A Bigger (& Better) Camp Half-Blood
Harry Potter has Hogwarts and Percy Jackson has Camp Half-Blood. While not as grand as the Hogwarts castle, Camp Half-Blood is just as magical and enchanting, with an array of mythological creatures working as camp instructors, a mystical oracle that can see across time and space, and plenty of places for demigods to train and become better fighters.
Perhaps the biggest and most interesting features of the camp are the twelve distinct cabins —one for each of the Olympian gods— where all the campers reside depending on who their Olympian parent is. Having the unique cabins from the books in the new adaptation would immediately make their version of Camp Half-Blood far superior.
8 Kronos Playing Puppeteer Behind The Scenes
Fans of the books know that the mastermind behind Percy’s multiple struggles is none other than his grandfather, the Titan Kronos, who has been planning his return for millennia after being sealed in Tartarus by Zeus eons ago.
The first film completely erased him from the story, and while the second one tried to remedy the situation, his introduction was poorly executed and disappointed fans once again. Hopefully, with Rick Riordan involved in the development of the series, Kronos will finally get to wreak havoc as he did in the books.
7 Olympians With Actual Personalities
The Olympian gods in the Percy Jackson books are brimming with personality, giving them a touch of humanity without taking away the fact that they’re immortal beings who have been alive for way too long. It’s a difficult characterization to pull off and Rick Riordan did it so incredibly well that it’s a crime how bland they are in the movies. Dionysus only worked because Stanley Tucci played him, but none of the others stepped outside their godly persona as they should’ve.
Some fan-favorite Olympians like Apollo, Artemis, and Ares will hopefully get bigger roles now that the story is being adapted into a multi-episode series, but getting all twelve Olympians right would be a home run for the new show.
6 In-Character Grover & The Search For Pan
In an effort to be more teen-friendly, the films turned Grover into a hormone-driven mess. His personality was completely butchered and turned upside down, turning him from the nervous satyr who wants nothing more than to protect others and prove his self-worth, into a raunchy sort of character who does nothing but act as the comic relief of the story.
Having an in-character Grover would also completely change his friendship with Percy and put more emphasis on his lifelong dream: to earn a searcher’s license so he can set off on the Search for the god of nature, Pan.
5 The Team Going On More Quests
Throughout the series, Percy and many of the other demigods set off on prophesized Quests that take them on all sorts of adventures. Beyond what viewers were able to see in The Lightning Thief and its sequel, The Sea of Monsters, Percy and friends also embark on several other Quests over the last three books.
Annabeth leads her own in search of the demigod Daedalus in The Battle of The Labyrinth, and Percy eventually saves Olympus during his Quest in the last book, just to name a couple. If the Disney+ series adapts the pentalogy in its entirety, fans will finally be able to see these and other Quests come to life!
4 Percy & Annabeth Having An Actual Relationship
Percy and Annabeth start out as reluctant teammates, progress into a strong friendship, and ultimately become romantically involved during the last two books in the series. Their relationship builds up slowly across the five books, and it takes them a long time to realize their feelings for each other have changed while fighting monsters and vengeful Titans along the way.
The films completely changed their dynamic, making them romantic interests from the beginning and forgoing their friendship for a terribly awkward sexual tension. ‘Percabeth,’ as they are known by fans of the books, will be a hugely important factor in making or breaking the TV series since they’ll eventually become romantic leads and will be judged by the chemistry between the actors.
3 Percy’s Sarcasm Making Its Live-Action Debut
Percy is one of the funniest, most relatable narrators in any children’s book series. His stream of consciousness is what makes some of his stressful adventures into comedic situations, and his sharp tongue and sarcasm are known to have angered an Olympian or two into making his Quests twice as hard.
While Logan Lerman did what he could with the script he was given for the films, Percy’s lack of personality immediately stood out for all the wrong reasons. Having a charismatic Percy, with his specific brand of humor and wit, will be key in kickstarting the new franchise, so Disney better choose wisely.
2 Fan-Favorite Campers Getting A Revamp Or Appearing For The First Time
The Percy Jackson book series has a large group of diverse main and secondary characters. Fan-favorites Nico and Bianca di Angelo never made an appearance given the cancellation of the third movie, and others like Luke Castellan, Thalia Grace, and Clarisse La Rue only got a surface-level treatment, leaving the characters a shell of their book counterparts.
The TV series could introduce more beloved demigods from Camp Half-Blood like the trouble-making Stoll twins, and tragic lovebirds Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard, among others. Satisfying the fans will be tricky, but keeping the characters as faithful to the book as possible should do it.
1 Ares & Percy Finally Fighting It Out
One of the best scenes in the first book, the fight between Percy and the Olympian god of war Ares is definitely one of the most anticipated moments on every fan’s list. After an exhausting and dangerous trip to the Underworld, Percy ends up battling a scheming Ares who had tricked him earlier in the story and finally reveals his true intentions. The duel has an unexpected ending, with Percy winning over the Olympian god, and is regarded by many as the action highlight of The Lightning Thief.
Ares’s involvement with Percy’s Quest was completely cut from the first film, which meant also getting rid of what would’ve arguably been the most cinematic scene in the story. The Disney+ series only has the book to live up to, but the bar is getting higher as expectations keep growing!
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