Percy Jackson is officially returning to New York City.
The Hollywood Reporter announced that, per New York Comic Con’s official schedule, a Percy Jackson and the Olympians panel will be held on Sunday, October 15. This panel will offer an exclusive sneak peek at Disney+’s TV adaptation of author Rick Riordan’s novel The Lightning Thief, though a panel host and guest speakers remain unknown. Other panels announced for the four-day convention will include highly-anticipated fall shows like Chucky season 3, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and a new Disney+ adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books.
Initially, reports suggested that Percy Jackson and the Olympians wouldn’t come out until 2024, despite originally leaning toward a 2023 release window. However, Percy Jackson‘s second official teaser — which dropped the same day as its titular character’s in-universe birthday — confirmed that it would in fact premiere on December 20, 2023. The teaser not only provided a first look at Walker Scobell’s Percy and friends Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood but book adversaries like the Minotaur and god of war Ares as well.
Just like in The Lightning Thief, the Percy Jackson show follows Percy, a pre-teen who discovers that Greek gods are real and that he is the demigod son of the sea god Poseidon. Sent to Camp Half-Blood — a training facility for demigods co-led by Chiron and Dionysus (played by Glynn Turman and Jason Mantzoukas respectively) — Percy is soon tasked with recovering Zeus’ missing thunderbolt and averting a war between the major Gods. In a June interview, Riordan, who remains openly critical of the two Percy Jackson movie adaptations, revealed that his interest in pitching the TV show came after “the acquisition of Fox [which produced the two movies] by Disney. Disney has always been the publisher for Percy Jackson. Talking to my wife [Becky], I think we both said, you know, there might be an opportunity here.”
Following its first teaser release last year, filming on Percy Jackson and the Olympians was completed in early February. At the moment, neither Riordan nor his cast are able to discuss the show due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Despite this, Riordan and co-writer Mark Oshiro released the Percy Jackson spinoff novel The Sun and the Star in May, while a new Percy-centric book, The Chalice of the Gods, will come out on September 26. Additionally, prior to the strikes, Riordan confirmed that the show’s writers’ room was developing scripts for a The Sea of Monsters adaptation, should Disney greenlight season 2.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres on Disney+ on Dec. 20.
Source: THR