Netflix axed an adaptation of a Percy Jackson spinoff series, which is devastating for those looking forward to it, but the cancelation could ultimately be a positive thing (especially for Disney). Following the overwhelming success of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books, the author published a new series set in the same universe as everyone’s favorite son of Poseidon and Camp Half-Blood — The Kane Chronicles. The Kane Chronicles is a trilogy — The Red Pyramid (2010), The Throne of Fire (2011), and The Serpent’s Shadow (2012) — revolving around Carter and Sadie Kane, two magicians descended from pharaohs.
After delving into Greek mythology, Riordan turned to Egyptian mythology for his next inspiration, resulting in The Kane Chronicles. The novels were well received, and in 2020, Riordan announced that Netflix was adapting them into feature films. However, after many years of no news surrounding the planned movie trilogy, the author revealed in 2024 that the streaming service had unfortunately passed on the adaptation. While the Percy Jackson spinoff cancelation news is disappointing, the bigger picture of Netflix not moving forward with The Kane Chronicles points toward an exciting possibility for Disney.
The Kane Chronicles’ Cancelation Is Good News For Disney’s Percy Jackson Franchise
At first glance, Netflix canceling their version of an adaptation of Rick Riordan’s The Kane Chronicles is frustrating for those who loved the book series. However, Riordan’s statement (via Goodreads) on the matter indicates that all is not lost regarding a possible on-screen depiction of Carter and Sadie Kane’s story, and Disney should take advantage of the opportunity to scoop up The Kane Chronicles following the massive success of Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1. Riordan wrote:
Right now, Kane Chronicles is in “turnaround,” which means Netflix has decided not to move forward and their option has lapsed after trying for two years to develop a script they liked. Now it depends on whether another studio would like to step in, assume the preproduction costs, and move forward. This is not at all unusual. It happens, I would guess, with the majority of film projects. Also, the streaming industry as a whole is shrinking their development slate right now, meaning they are cancelling more content and making less content. Kane got caught in that trend, despite the strong success of Percy TV.
Season 1 was an unbelievable triumph for Disney+. Per Variety, more than 13 million people watched the premiere within its first six days on the streaming service, and after three weeks, episode 1 had amassed more than 26 million viewers. The show’s success continued with each passing episode, resulting in Disney ordering Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2. Now that Disney knows how well a Percy Jackson project can perform on Disney+, the company might want to expand the universe and pick up the rights to The Kane Chronicles after Netflix passed on a movie trilogy adaptation.
Disney’s Percy Jackson Show Proves TV Is A Better Medium For Any Spinoffs
Ultimately, Netflix’s plans to develop The Kane Chronicles into movies might not have gone over very well, based on both adaptations of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. As many know, 20th Century Fox’s attempts at adapting Riordan’s novels for the big screen crashed and burned. Fans strongly criticized the film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief for failing to understand the source material, and the sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, didn’t fare much better. However, the Disney+ series was lauded for its faithfulness to Riordan’s books, proving that television would likely be the better medium for the spinoff.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 thrived in the television format, partly because the writers had more time to explore more The Lightning Thief scenes in the show. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Riordan was significantly involved in the production of the Disney+ series. Nevertheless, it’s for the best that Netflix passed on The Kane Chronicles because Disney now has the opportunity to build a Percy Jackson franchise and because the spinoff would work better as a television show than as a movie trilogy. Plus, it would have been puzzling if other Percy Jackson projects popped up outside Disney.
10 Olympians We Hope Appear In Percy Jackson Season 2
Disney+ has renewed Percy Jackson and the Olympians for season 2, and producers revealed that the upcoming episodes will introduce more Olympians.
How Disney Could Integrate The Kane Chronicles Into Its Percy Jackson Universe
Disney loves its franchises, and the company would be wise to build one around Percy Jackson, given its endless source material and popularity. As a result, Disney+ should pick up the rights to The Kane Chronicles and commit to creating an official Percy Jackson universe. The best part about this possibility is that it creates opportunities for exciting crossovers, even though the characters of both book series don’t meet in the novels.
Unlike Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Percy Jackson and his friends never meet up with Carter and Sadie Kane in the books. However, if Disney+ scoops up The Kane Chronicles, the probability of a crossover is high, even if Percy only briefly crosses paths with Carter and Sadie. Only time will tell if the streaming service takes over the adaptation of the Percy Jackson spinoff, though, and if Riordan will have even more projects on his hands.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Based on the novel series by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson & the Olympians is an action-adventure fantasy television series created for Disney+. When Percy Jackson is framed for the theft of Zeus’ almighty thunderbolt, Percy must clear his name, all while harnessing the powers inherited by his father, Poseidon, at a camp created for demigods.
- Cast
- Walker Scobell , Leah Sava Jeffries , Aryan Simhadri , Jason Mantzoukas , Megan Mullally , Glynn Turman , Adam Copeland , Virginia Kull , Lance Reddick
- Release Date
- December 20, 2023
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney Plus
- Franchise(s)
- Percy Jackson & The Olympians
