Percy Jackson and the Olympians author Rick Riordan can’t stop raving about the new trio of actors for the upcoming Disney+ adaptation. Percy Jackson was previously adapted into two feature films from 20th Century Fox and starred Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, and Brandon T. Jackson as the main trio. Both of these movies received a great deal of criticism due to their deviation from the source material, though the Percy Jackson show is expected to be faithtful to the novels due to the Riordan’s direct involvement.
The Percy Jackson show made quite a splash when it cast The Adam Project‘s Walker Scobell as the titular teenager who discovers he is a demigod and the son of the Greek god Poseidon. Rounding out the show’s main trio are Empire‘s Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, and Cheaper by the Dozen‘s Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood, Percy’s best friend and a satyr. The Percy Jackson show cast also includes Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullaly, Timm Sharp, Dior Goodjohn, and Charlie Bushnell in recurring roles.
Now, in a recent post on his website, Rick Riordan took some time to continue praising the Percy Jackson show’s cast, especially the main trio. Riordan called the new triumvirate of actors “incredible” and said they are “owning their characters in the best possible way,” as it is now very difficult for him to “imagine Percy, Annabeth and Grover without seeing Walker, Leah and Aryan.” Read what Riordan wrote on his blog below:
As I predicted, our main trio is so incredible that it’s now very difficult for me to imagine Percy, Annabeth and Grover without seeing Walker, Leah and Aryan. They are owning these characters in the best possible way. You will see what I mean when you watch the show. If you were a doubter, you will doubt no longer.
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In his post, Riordan addressed the Percy Jackson show’s doubters directly, of which there have been many. Jeffries and Simhadri’s castings have been met with significant backlash since they swap races from the books. Unfortunately, Jeffries has been the main recipient of much of the online vitriol since she is a Black actor playing Annabeth, who is described in the books as white. Riordan previously responded to the casting backlash and called it out for what it is – blatant racism.
Riordan, who is heavily involved in the show’s casting process, is now continuing to support the main trio and praise their performances. Fans will have to take his word for now, as Percy Jackson and the Olympians remains in production for Disney+. In the meantime, audiences can check out some of the main trio’s other work, such as Scobell in Secret Headquarters on Paramount+, Jeffries in Beast premiering on August 19, and Simhadri in Trevor: The Musical on Disney+. Viewers can get some idea of what the three are capable of and what qualities they’ll bring to their roles.