On June 28, 2005, a book called “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan was published. This book depicts the trials and tribulations of a boy named Percy Jackson, an average 12-year -old who discovers that he is a demigod, son of the sea god Poseidon. He learns that due to his parentage he is in immense danger and is sent away to Camp Half Blood to learn how to defend himself.
At Camp Half Blood, Percy meets many other demigods and mythical creatures that he believed only to be found in the pages of his Greek mythology textbook. He meets Annabeth Chase, a long time camper and daughter of the goddess of wisdom, Athena. He also discovers that his best friend, Grover Underwood, had been hiding that he was a satyr, which is a half goat and half man. These three embark on a quest to find the sky god Zeus’ missing lightning bolt. The trio encounters many monsters, some friends, and a few other gods (that may or may not be trying to set up Percy for failure).
The success of the first book led to four more books published as a part of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series; the last was released on Oct. 7, 2014. In this initial series, Percy and his friends face many challenges, make new friends, and grow up together alongside their fans. Since 2014, the Percy Jackson series and its fandom has grown exponentially with multiple other books and stories stemming from the original series. “The Heroes of Olympus” series, produced after the original Percy Jackson pentalogy, follows Roman mythology along with Greek and presents many new characters and demigods that work together to save the world. “The Kane Chronicles’ are a trilogy following siblings who battle against gods from Ancient Egypt and attempt to restore order to the modern world and their family. The ‘Magnus Chase’ series follows Magnus Chase and his friends in their adventures and their discovery of the true nature of the gods of Asgard.
After the success of the books, “The Lightning Thief” was adapted to the screen in 2010, followed by the release of the sequel, “Sea of Monsters” in 2013. However, these adaptations did not follow much of the original writing and disappointed fans who were looking forward to seeing their favorite characters on the screen. After two unsuccessful movies, Riordan decided to keep the series out of Hollywood and continue writing spinoff series.
Since 2013, there has not been another attempt to put Percy Jackson and his friends on the screen, until now. In January of 2022, Riordan confirmed that he, in collaboration with Disney, was working on an eight episode season that depicts the first book in its entirety. This series is scheduled to be released on Disney+ on Dec. 20, 2023.
With this new series imminent, many wonder if this adaptation will have a more positive reception from long time fans than the failed movies. Many have already expressed their happiness and hope for the show and who it will help bring into the fandom.
Audrey Peters, a senior at Franklin High School, shares she is “very apprehensively excited about it.” She goes on to say that she loved the books as a kid and “Battle of the Labyrinth” is her favorite because “the story is so interesting to read.” Peters was disappointed with the original movie depictions because they were “not canon compliant and told the story in a really bad way and didn’t come close to doing it justice.” She also believes that the characters were not represented in the movie as they were in the books.
Astro Rocket Random, a senior at Franklin, explains that an important part of creating an accurate representation of the books comes from the casting. The 2010 movie cast young adults to play Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, whereas in the books, the characters are 12 years old. Random explains, “I think from what we’ve gotten to see so far, [the series] perfectly captures the silly, cheesy-ness of the PJO books that makes them wonderful,” they continue, saying, “[the] acting and special effects that give us that simple, childhood wonder of ‘ohh superpowers!!’” They believe that since the actors in the series are kids themselves they will bring the “silly kid feeling” that the original adaptation was lacking.
The book series has brought immense joy to children across the globe, but this show is catered to the young adults and teens that grew up with the series for the last decade. On September 26, 2023 Riordan released “The Chalice of the Gods,” a new book following Percy, Annabeth, and Grover on a quest to help Percy get college recommendation letters. As a senior in high school, Percy is facing a mythical approach to a real world ‘quest’ for average teens hoping to finish their applications and get accepted into college.
“The Sun and the Star” is another recent release; this book follows Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, the god of the Underworld, and his boyfriend Will Solace, the son of Apollo. After Nico has recurring dreams about the deepest part of the Underworld, Tartarus, he and Will set out to discover who is calling to him.
These two releases bring new and much sought after content to avid Percy Jackson fans. They also remind readers that they are growing up as much as Percy and his friends are. Riordan stated on his website that he has heard the requests for faithful screen adaptations of the original series and he agrees and hopes fans will be pleased with the end result.
Whether you are brand new to the book series or have been following it since its creation, the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” TV series will bring in new and improved versions of the stories we know and love. You can watch this new adaptation on Dec. 20, 2023 on Disney+ and you can buy all of Percy Jackson’s adventures and other spin offs at any bookstore or borrow them at the Franklin Library.
