The stars of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+ just teased the fan-favorite Tunnel of Love sequence.
There’s an endless list of things fans love about Rick Riordan’s original series. There are elements like the Camp Half-Blood cabins, the Greek Gods themselves, the magical monsters the heroes encounter, and more.
However, there is often one sequence die-hard fans tend to gravitate toward the most: the Tunnel of Love.
The scene in question sees Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson tricked into going on a Tunnel of Love thrill ride at an abandoned water park in order to retrieve Ares’ shield. Little did they know, it was all an elaborate scheme to set off a trap set by Hephaestus originally meant to catch Ares and Aphrodite in the act.
Percy & Annabeth's Tunnel of Love
The Direct attended a virtual press conference for Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, where the show’s main cast teased Season 1’s upcoming Tunnel of Love scene.
When asked what some of his favorite moments of the show are that showcase the core trio’s dynamic, Walker Scobell, who plays Percy Jackson, declared “The Tunnel of Love” scene as “one of [his] favorite moments:”
"There's a lot of great moments in the show. I think one of my favorite moments is in the Tunnel of Love. Kind of a basic answer, but I think it really kind of sets up the relationship for the rest of the series."
Annabeth Chase’s Leah Jeffries agreed with her co-star, noting that the scene is the first time audiences “see the chemistry and the intenseness” of their friendship:
“I actually agree with what he said in the Tunnel of Love because I think that's really when you can start to see the chemistry and the intenseness of how the friendship is building into it, basically—If that makes sense.”
Jeffries continued, admitting that “at first Annabeth and Percy were like enemies,” but the Tunnel of Love is a big turning point from that mindset:
“Because, like, you know, definitely at first Annabeth and Percy were like enemies almost to each other. One is being like joking with the others. Like, 'Stop doing that, please.' That's really built the character and stuff. When it was in the Tunnel of Love, that's what made them realize, like, oh, 'this person is not so bad.' And you know, you're not so bad either.”
While responding to another question, Scobell revealed how prepared he was for the role, sharing he’s actually “read the book seven times:”
“Well, for me, I've been reading the books since third grade. And it's been really great to be able to experience filming the books I've read since I was in third grade… I've read the book seven times…”
Aryan Simhadri, who portrays Grover in the series, jumped in to add that “[they] were huge fans of the books before” and that “getting to play such an iconic character has been just amazing:”
“Yeah, I mean, I think that's pretty much how we all feel. We were huge fans of the books before. I mean, me personally, I was a huge fan before I even knew that they were starting a show. So getting to play such an iconic character has been just amazing.”
One of the classic elements of the Percy Jackson books is the famed Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp where demigods visit to stay safe from the monsters hunting them down in the mortal world.
On seeing the camp for the first time, Scobell admitted, “It was really surreal:”
“I was gonna say, I think it was really surreal. I guess that's the only way to put it. But, um, it's just really weird being there, you know, because you've been imagining it for so long. And finally getting to see it…”
Jeffries heavily praised the production’s ability to bring so much detail to life from the books:
“I've never seen people bring something that was... written out to live so good. I've never seen somebody bring so much detail from a book... everything in the book was literally like, it came out [of the book]. It wasn't like, 'Oh, well, maybe we should change that a little bit.'”
The actress even claimed that “[she] walked out feeling like [she] actually lived in that book:
“It was like, 'No, we specifically want this.' Like that one piece of bark is red or something like that... It was very surreal... When they were first like, 'Okay, we're gonna bring you the Camp Half-Blood,' I was like, 'Okay, cool.' And when I went there, I walked out feeling like I actually lived in that book.”
What Other Exciting Scenes Are Ahead for Percy Jackson?
As exciting as the Tunnel of Love scene is, which can actually be glimpsed in the trailers, there are plenty of other sequences to be excited about.
For one, there’s Percy’s big brawl with Ares, which is a pinnacle moment for the story.
On a similar note, the titular hero and his friends will come face-to-face with Hades himself. Hopefully, the tension and dread are as thick as it is in the original books.
Then, of course, audiences will eventually get to see Mount Olympus and the thrones of the Gods in all their glory—though that probably won’t happen until the end of the season.
Hopefully, Season 1 is only the beginning of the audience’s journey with Percy Jackson on Disney+. Fingers crossed that each book, of which there are five, gets adapted into its own full-length season.
If the show is successful enough in the long run, perhaps the spin-off books could also make it to the screen.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians lands on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on December 20.
