For those looking forward to Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a fresh update offers some promising news.
All the way back in 2020, development started on the upcoming Percy Jackson series. Unlike the previous film adaptations, which bombed for both audiences and critics, the author behind the source material, Rick Riordan, will be heavily involved.
Instead of Logan Lerman, this time around, Walker Scobell will be portraying the titular character. The actor previously promised that he aims to try his “hardest every single day” in order to bring the character to life as best he can.
Leah Jeffries will be playing the “supportive” Annabeth Chase, while Aryan Simhadri plays Grover Underwood, “the protector of the group.”
With production having been underway for months now, many fans are still wondering when exactly they might end up seeing the series launch on Disney+. Thankfully, the most recent update to the question is a promising one.
A Promising Update for Percy Jackson
In an interview with GoErie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians star Walker Scobell revealed when he believes the show will finally hit Disney+.
While discussing how “[he’s had] four days off since May,” the star noted how the project could begin airing on Disney+ in late 2023 or 2024.
This is a promising update compared with what author Rick Riordan had previously revealed.
In one of his blog posts, Riordan revealed that “the most likely air date will probably be early 2024:“
“Given all this, I think the most likely air date will probably be early 2024. Again, that’s just me guessing. The actual release dates are determined by the studio and the streaming service and have to take in hundreds of other factors like the release schedule for all Disney+ shows, timing for publicity, etc., etc.”
If Scobell is correct, fans can hopefully expect to start watching the show before 2023 has come to a close.
In the same interview with GoErie, Scobell noted that when they resume production on January 2, they’ll be “film[ing] all the cool stuff,” including an “Ares fight:”
“That’s when we film all the cool stuff like the Ares fight (between the Greek god of war and Percy Jackson) ... and then I wrap up until season 2.”
Speaking of a second season, a renewal is not yet confirmed, and the star was unsure of when work for it would begin.
The actor commented on how “awesome” it has been to work with author Rick Riordan on the series, but at the same time, it’s been quite “scary:”
“[it’s been] awesome [to work with Rick Riordan] but also scary because he’s the guy who created the book and made all this happen. You always have to be on your A-game, especially in front of him.”
While the young actor is still on the lookout for other acting jobs, he promises to “continue with Percy Jackson as long as it goes.”
The Long Wait for Percy Jackson Continues
With cameras having started rolling back in June, the show has been in production for quite some time. This could indicate that there will be plenty of post-work for the series—especially when one thinks about how VFX-heavy some of the bigger moments are.
It’s also worth noting how long the project has been filming. With the show now almost finishing up its sixth month, it’s proving to be quite a lengthy production.
For comparison, The Mandalorian’s first season only took five months to shoot. With half a year’s worth of production completed, Percy Jackson doesn’t seem to be slowing down—especially if they are only now about to film a pivotal sequence such as the fight with Ares.
While Adam Copeland has been cast as the Greek God of War, it’s been previously revealed at least six key Gods won’t be making an appearance in the upcoming first season. But, alongside Ares will be Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hephestatua, Dionysus, and Lin-Manuel Maranda’s Hermes.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is set to hit Disney+ in either late 2023 or early 2024.
