As you’re probably well aware, the Disney+ Percy Jackson and the Olympians adaptation is currently in pre-production. And we’ve received some very exciting news over the past couple of weeks.
To recap: author Rick Riordan announced that the series had been greenlit by Disney back in January, and fans have been anxiously waiting to hear more, particularly in regards to casting.
Just last week, Riordan dropped the biggest announcement to date. 13-year-old Walker Scobell is slated to play Percy, and he’s perfect for the role. You may recognize his face from Netflix’s sci-fi film The Adam Project. Walker played a younger version of Ryan Reynolds’ character, and being around the comedic actor may have rubbed off on him.
Maybe Deadpool isn’t the best role model, but after this clip went viral, the internet is in agreement: that is our Percy Jackson.
Not to mention that Walker is a long-time fan of the Percy Jackson series. He was even wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt when Rick told him he got the part. So. Freaking. Adorable.
But what I’m most anticipating is the casting of Percy’s best friends. The Percy Jackson films changed little details like Annabeth’s hair color and Grover’s race, and some fans were upset by this. I’m more interested in great POC representation than accurate book descriptions. I’d love to see the smart, kickass daughter of Athena be played by a Black, Latina or Asian actress. And it’s certainly a possibility, considering the series’ author isn’t factoring physical traits into his casting decisions.
“What I want to see are age-appropriate actors who can embody the personalities of the characters, nail their voices and their sense of humor, and make you believe: “Yes, that is Percy. That is Grover. That is Annabeth,” even if they’re not exactly how the characters were described physically in the books.”
According to Rick Riordan himself, via his official blog, the Annabeth and Grover casting announcements are coming soon. Like in a matter of weeks, and we may even find out what the show’s trio will look like by the time this article comes out (ahhh).
I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of hope for this series. Age-appropriate casting is important in visual storytelling, and I can’t wait for kids to see themselves in Percy and his friends and fall in love with this magical world that Riordan created — just like I did 12 years ago when I read the books for the first time.