‘Percy Jackson’ Is FINALLY Getting a Live Action TV Show; Here Are 8 Things We’re Desperate to See
May 18, 2020 • Meryl Medel
May 18, 2020 • Meryl Medel
— Rick Riordan (@rickriordan) May 14, 2020
ICYMI, the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians is finally getting a much-awaited and much-deserved television series through Disney+. Author Rick Riordan made the brief announcement via his Twitter page and the Internet went a little bit crazy, trending “Percy Jackson” immediately and for hours after the announcement.
And we understand the feeling. We’ve also been waiting for this series to be given the live adaptation it deserves. The two film adaptations (and we use the word ‘adaptation’ loosely here) we got years ago were quite frankly the disappointments. And it was just sad because the book series had so much potential, much like how the Harry Potter series transformed into the gigantic and unavoidable franchise we know it as today.
this isn’t an unpopular opinion literally everyone hates those movies and loves the books
— victoria (@gylIlenhaal) June 18, 2019
It’s quite even more disappointing since the Lightning Thief adaptation was actually directed by the same director who directed the first two films of the Harry Potter series. Sad how everyone — from the fans to the author of the series himself — dislikes the two film adaptations.
Warning: Minor spoilers ahead!
harry potter started with a perfect age appropriate cast.
disney better do that for percy jackson, which keep in mind: started with 12 year olds. TWELVE YEAR OLDS pic.twitter.com/TvvEk3UNsO
— ˚* ❀ rika (@mywonflower) May 15, 2020
One of the biggest mistakes the film adaptations made was changing the ages of the main characters. The author even warned the filmmakers about this. There’s a huge difference (i.e. puberty) between being twelve-year-olds and sixteen-year-olds, even if there’s only a four-year difference. That difference is so vital to the plot because the characters turn a year older with every book and bring with them experiences that can’t be reflected when you just suddenly age them up.
So now, fans are hoping the live adaptation remains faithful to the original ages of the series characters. Or at least as close to them as possible. Harry Potter was able to do it. We hope PJO can do it, too.
Another thing that the film adaptations robbed from us is how epic the whole game was. Percy feeling unsure and somewhat inadequate beside all those powerful demigod kids . . . Percy trying his best to do what Annabeth assigned to him . . . And him ending up being claimed by his father. That whole scene was epic, and it was all so vivid in our imaginations that fans felt so cheated when it was drastically changed during the movie.
Another we-were-robbed episode. In the Lightning Thief book, the fight against Ares is perhaps the climax of the story. But in the movie? There’s no Ares. Well, there was, but he was uncredited, so you might as well just count him out. And his role in the plot (if there ever was one in that movie) was written off altogether. So in this TV show, we hope to see the most cinematic fight scene of the first book be brought to life. Please.
This isn’t as big a thing as the others, and granted, there wasn’t really as much product placements in the film per se . . . But this deserves a mention primarily because the film adaptation of Lightning Thief essentially wasted Uma Thurman’s appearance and talent when her Medusa character was overpowered by an iPod . . . Maybe this time, if ever, just put any product in a more strategic point in the movie, and not in the middle of a serious life-or-death type of fight.
A lot of fans were skeptical of the second movie adaptation, given the disappointment that was the first film. And well, they were right to be skeptical. The second film was sadly even worse. Imagine cramming about four books worth of plot into just a hundred minutes of film. Yes, that’s exactly what happened with Sea of Monsters. Is it even right to call it that when the Sea of Monsters was barely explored and more attention was given to the titan Kronos and a bunch of other mixed up plotlines that felt more like plot holes? In the new show, we hope there wouldn’t be any mention of Kronos until the right time comes — the right being somewhen during the fourth novel (a.k.a. probably the fourth season).
You want to know why? The films reduced him to just the bad guy who wants to ruin the world, but he’s so much more complex than that. His backstory, his issues, his thoughts and all weren’t exactly explored properly in the films. He is a very important part of this story, even if he seems like a bad guy. An anti-hero, maybe? Go read the books and you’ll know what we’re talking about.
In the Percy Jackson book series, the whole story is told from the point of view of Percy (let’s not go to Heroes of Olympus yet). And sure, it means we’re seeing the story through his biased eyes, but he tells the story in the most interesting way possible. His thoughts may sometimes be ignorant and naive (he is a twelve-year-old boy), but his snarky way of sharing his thoughts captures the audience’s attention quite well. He was definitely a hilarious narrator, so please give us Percy’s snarkiness.
say what u want but this bitch SERVED as percy jackson and u will RESPECT him pic.twitter.com/5mGH0ptoOk
— madeline (@lateforcakes) May 15, 2020
After so many years of Logan Lerman’s face used as Percy Jackson, it’s hard to dissociate him from the role. But if fans want accuracy, fans need to let go of Logan. But maybe not completely. As disappointed as fans were with how the film adaptations ended up, the cast, especially Logan, has a special place in their hearts. So the fandom collectively agreed that Logan Lerman needs to do a cameo in the upcoming series. Maybe even as Poseidon this time around! We hope the showrunners hear us.
🌊 Logan Lerman as Poseidon 🔱
[percy jackson disney+ dream cast] pic.twitter.com/eQTbSQu4Jo— ⟭⟬ PJO ⁷⟬⟭ ♦️ jikook au (@versaillesyoon) May 15, 2020
Just look at what a cool guy Logan is.
Excited to see this! Hope it gets the adaptation the books deserve. Congrats @rickriordan https://t.co/ReE6EjJICV
— Logan Lerman (@LoganLerman) May 14, 2020
Now it’s just a waiting game . . .
*percy jackson getting a 5 season, live-action, series on disney plus and rick riordan personally overseeing the production*
my overgrown, camp halfblood demigod ass: pic.twitter.com/UZ14F21ipq
— PERCY JACKSON ON DISNEY PLUS (@MartelleCaleb) May 15, 2020
And some words of wisdom:
If the Percy Jackson series can finally get what it deserves, you can too.
— Jai Cabajar (@jaicabajar) May 15, 2020
What else do you want to see in the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series? Tell us below!
Input your search keywords and press Enter.