Rick Riordan raves about the early footage coming from the filming of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians show. The first entry in Riordan’s beloved book series, The Lightning Thief, was released in 2005, and it has sold over a million copies since then. The dyslexic kid with ADHD evidently struck a chord with readers everywhere. The rest of the series about Greek mythology existing in modern times came out in the years following, making Percy a worldwide phenomenon, with translations in several languages for fans of the teenage demigod all over the world. There were even two Percy Jackson movies made, though they made some significant changes from the books and were not well-received.
The books are now being adapted into a Disney+ series with heavy input coming straight from Riordan, who has been involved throughout the whole process. Filming for Percy Jackson began in early June in Vancouver, and the author has posted several updates about the progress of the show. Most recently, he revealed the casting of two key characters, Luke Castellan and Clarisse LaRue, so the excitement for the show’s release keeps growing.
With the fourth week of filming underway, Riordan posts on his website, updating fans with his excited praise of the cast and daily footage. He has reacted to Percy Jackson test footage before on his website, and he seems to keep getting more excited. His enthusiasm shows throughout his post. Read what Riordan says below:
Our fourth full week of filming is well underway in Vancouver, BC! We are receiving ‘dailies’ of the scenes recorded each day, and they look . . . dare I say, divine. This cast is electrifying. They own their characters and turn their lines into magic on screen. That’s even before editing, soundtracks or special effects.
If Riordan is this full of praise before any editing or special effects, it will be interesting to see what he says as Percy Jackson is refined through the post-production process. This process will also be most impressive, as Riordan reveals that Percy Jackson has partnered with Industrial Light and Magic for filming. They are using the same Volume stage technology that made The Mandalorian so visually stunning, so that bodes very well for the many necessary effects throughout Percy Jackson.
Most of Riordan’s accolades are aimed at the actors, presumably the main trio Walker Scobell as Percy, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover. Such high praise for the young cast is very exciting, especially coming from the person who created the characters they are bringing to life. It is a testament that the actors are exactly right for the job. It also should make fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians very excited; the show is well underway, it’s going great, the cast is magic, and the author himself is beyond happy with it. That means audiences can trust the process for now and happily anticipate the release of the show.
