How the cast of the new Percy Jackson series went from fans to heroes
CBC
After 10 years, the best-selling book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians is returning to screens, this time on Disney+.
Based on author Rick Riordan's fictional world of Greek mythology, the show follows the quest of Percy Jackson, played by Walker Scobell, as he discovers he's the half-human son of Poseidon.
Together with his friends Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), the daughter of Athena, and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), a satyr, he fights gods and monsters to stop a full-blown war.
Scobell thinks his character's struggles with school and making friends can be relatable.
"Percy doesn't really have a place until he learns he is half-blood, which is really important. It shows that everyone has a place," the actor told CBC News.
The Disney+ series, which premieres Wednesday, comes more than a decade after the five books inspired a film version. Despite the large fan base, just two movies were made.
This time author Riordan was heavily involved in the series as a co-creator with Jonathan E. Steinberg.
Riordan said last month on social media that producing the show was "harder and more time-consuming than anything I've ever done."
He said he wanted to make sure the series followed the books as much as possible.
Jeffries says having Riordan on the set helped her gain confidence in her role.
"I was excited, but I was still worried because this character had already been played before — so what if they wanted me to be like that?" Jeffries said. "But when Mr. Rick told me 'just be yourself,' it gave me relief."
Scobell was such a fan of the books he read the series seven times. That meant the bar was high to create a show he'd like.
"It was a little bit intimidating because I want something that I can watch myself," he told CBC News, noting he was encouraged by the massive support from fans.
Finding the right three actors to lead the series took more than a year, Riordan wrote on his website.
