‘Percy Jackson’ Author Rick Riordan Says They’re 1 Step Away From a Disney+ Series
Percy Jackson fans have been waiting a proper screen adaptation of Rick Riordan’s books. Now that Disney owns the rights to the books, since they absorbed 20th Century Fox properties in a merger, fans are hopeful that a Disney+ series can give Percy Jackson the time and attention it deserves. Some fans were a tad disappointed in the two Percy Jackson movies starring Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson. Even Riordan admitted they were compromised.
Riordan gave his readers an update on the Disney+ Percy Jackson developments in a Jan. 24 blog post on RickRiordan.com. He’s busy working on multiple projects but says Percy Jackson is getting very close on Disney+.
Rick Riordan confirmed a Disney+ ‘Percy Jackson’ series last year
Percy Jackson starred in five books by Riordan based on Greek mythology. The teenaged Percy finds out he is the son of Poseidon, the Greek God of water. Percy and friends train at Camp Half-Blood and have adventures involving Medusa, lotus flowers and sea creatures.
On Dec. 19, fans tweeting #DisneyAdaptPercyJackson got the hashtag trending. Disney+ was barely a month old at that point, having launched with the original series The Mandalorian. By May of 2020, Riordan confirmed that the books were in development at Disney+.
‘Percy Jackson’ has never been closer to a Disney+ series
Riordan ended his blog post with a “Hollywood Front” update. The author confirmed meetings were underway for Percy Jackson with a script draft completed.
“We have a couple of important meetings this coming week with the top brass at the studio for the Percy Jackson TV show, so keep your fingers crossed,” Riordan wrote. “Everyone who has read the pilot script loves it, but there will be a few additional tweaks we need to make before we send it off to its next stop: the top execs at Disney+.”
Disney+ execs will have the final say, of course. However, they just greenlit several Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar shows, so they seem to be in a generous mood. Riordan is hopeful about their notes.
“That’s normal,” Riordan continued. “In script writing, as in every other kind of writing, you can expect to do many, many drafts! All the input has been super positive and helpful, though. Everyone is committed to making this the best show we possibly can. I remain excited and guardedly optimistic that we are on the verge of getting a really first-rate project off the ground. As always, though, good things require time and patience! Stay tuned!”
Rick Riordan is still writing new books
Most of Riordan’s announcements involved literary properties. He promoted Sarwat Chadda’s City of the Plague God, which Riordan presented and previewed Graci Kim’s upcoming The Last Fallen Star. Riordan is writing another himself, too.
As for me, that secret project novel I’ve been working on the last seven months has been accepted by my editor at Disney Publishing, so if all goes well, it looks like you may have a new Riordan novel coming out this October. I really wasn’t expecting to be able to release a new book so soon, but I’m very excited! When I can share more details about the book, I will. This is something completely new for me, though it’s an idea that has been percolating since 2008. It is a stand-alone book, not mythology-based, but is otherwise my usual brand of fast-paced adventure with humor, a wide cast of characters, and maybe even a bit of stealth learning!
Rick Riordan, RickRiordan.com, 1/24/21
