While it will seemingly be a beacon of book accuracy, Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians will not perfectly replicate the books, as confirmed by one character's official absence.
Particularly when compared to the movies based essentially in-name-only on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, the show has already demonstrated its commitment to sticking to its source — and it doesn't even debut on Disney+ until Dec. 20.
Trailers, footage from New York Comic Con, and promises from creatives on the show have given fans hope that the series will be given the adaptation it deserves.
Budget Excluded 1 Percy Jackson Character from Show
According to a Threads post from Mythomagic, inc., the production company run by Rick and Becky Riordan, Argus from the books will be missing from the show's first season.
Even with as much effort as Percy Jackson and the Olympians was seemingly given for visual effects, a perfect adaptation is not always possible, as reasons like budget will get in the way.
The post explained that they "worked very hard to include Argus," with Camp Half-Blood's hundred-eyed Head of Security even being written into the second episode's script. However, "the special effects budget would have been spent on all those eyes," so he was removed from the final cut:
"We worked very hard to include Argus (he was in the script during the beginning of 102) but then when we all realized the special effects budget would have been spent on all those eyes one reconsiders."
However, the post encourages fans to "imagine him there ... trying to lighten the mood," even though he won't be seen — ironic, given the character's hundred eyes and job of camp oversight:
"So 'PJO' fans just imagine him there with Percy and Grover trying to lighten the mood."
Will Other Characters Be Missing from Percy Jackson on Disney+ Too?
In terms of The Lightning Thief — the book that inspired the show's first season — there is not much else that fans should expect to see cut aside from Argus for these reasons.
Other special-effect-heavy characters like the Minotaur, the Chimera, and Cerberus have all been confirmed already, and shown in various trailers and pieces of footage.
Furthermore, if Percy Jackson fans know anything, it's to take what they can get and savor it. Fans have been looking forward to this show for years, so if Argus is the price they have to pay, that may be worth the cost.
And perhaps one day, in a potential future season, fans will see Argus show up in some capacity. He played an important role in the final book of the first series, watching over Camp Half-Blood while the demigods protected New York. Maybe by a hypothetical Season 5, if it ever were to happen, the problem could be more easily resolved.
The first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians hit Disney+ on December 20.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
