The Percy Jackson and the Olympians team has just gained two more actors to play major gods in the upcoming Disney+ series. According to Variety, Lance Reddick will star as Zeus, while Toby Stephens will be taking on the role of Poseidon, the biological father of Percy Jackson.
The actors join the cast alongside Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover.
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A QUICK OVERVIEW OF PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS SERIES
The premise in the book series follows a 12-year-old demi-god who is coming to terms with his powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. He ends up embarking on this treacherous journey, with the help of his two friends, Grover, and Annabeth.
Now that we have established that, let’s meet Reddick as Zeus and Stephens as Poseidon.
Reddick is best known for his role in the HBO series The Wire as well as Charon in the John Wick film franchise. He recently starred in Netflix’s Resident Evil series. His oher film credits include One Night in Miami, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Angel Has Fallen. He’s also done voice acting in video games such as Destiny 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn.
According to the Percy Jackson book series, Zeus is described as “The all-powerful god of the sky and leader of Mount Olympus.” The character is also mistrustful where he swears that he will rage war if the stolen thunderbolt is not returned.
Thespian Toby Stephens portrays Poseidon in the new series. Stephens has starred in Amazon’s Alex Rider and Netflix’s Lost in Space. He has multiple film credits under his name, such as 13 Hours, the James Bond film Die Another Day, and Hunter Killer. He’s now set to voice Bond in different BBC Radio productions based on novels by Ian Fleming.
When it comes to his character as Poseiden, he is not only god of the sea, but also Percy’s father. According to the official character description, “Although seemingly absent in Percy’s life, many of Poseidon’s qualities live in Percy; stubbornness, impulsiveness and loyalty. Though he has stayed away throughout Percy’s life, his deep feelings for his son )and Percy’s mother, Sally) are evident.”
PRODUCTION MOVING FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR THE SERIES
The series has been in development for roughly three years and production just began last summer. The series will only have eight episodes and there has been no word if there will be a second season yet. It has been confirmed that the first eight episodes will be adapting to the events from the first book of Rick Riordan’s beloved series, The Lightning Thief.
According to Riordan, he states that the show is currently in a “very good place.” The author stated, “I am pleased to tell you we are in a very good place as we look ahead to a (not-yet-greenlit-but-fully-anticipated) season two.”
As of right now, the series is in production in Vancouver. Riordan and Jon Steinberg are writing the pilot while James Bobin is directing. Dan Shotz and Steinberg are overseeing the series and are executive producers alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Monica Owusu Breen, Jim Row, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson, Bert Salke and Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein.
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The series is expected to release on Disney+ in 2024. An official date has yet to be determined and according to Riordan, the series will most likely be released around early 2024, which he confirmed back in September.
What do you guys think? Are you excited for the Percy Jackson series? What are you most excited to see in the series? Are you a big Percy Jackson fan? Let us know in the comments or tweet us your answer at @The_Illuminerdi. Don’t forget to follow us on all of our socials so you can be updated with the latest pop culture news!
KEEP READING: PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS DISNEY PLUS SERIES EPISODE COUNT REVEALED: EXCLUSIVE
SOURCE: Variety
