Calling all demigods and mortals, our time has finally come! As announced on August 18, the first season of the Percy Jackson series on Disney+ is set to come out on December 20th. The series stars Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhardi as Grover Underwood. But this isn’t the only exciting thing happening in the Percy Jackson fandom. To prepare for the new television series, Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson series, is releasing a sixth book titled “Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods” on September 26th.
As a Percy Jackson fan, I jumped in excitement when I heard about the possibility of a new adaptation of one of my favorite book series. I first read the Percy Jackson series in middle school. As soon as I opened the pages of the first book, I fell in love with the story and was transported to Camp Half-Blood. I became obsessed with learning about Greek mythology, reading Rick Riordan’s novels, and daydreaming about who my godly parent would be (Athena). Both the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series were my escape from reality during a challenging time in my life.
It is safe to say that I am extremely excited about the show. When I watched the full trailer, I was blown away by all the small details from the book that were added to the show, including the eerie Riptide song playing in the background and Percy wearing Annabeth’s charm necklace when he enters Olympus. Because of this, here are some things I am most excited to see in the show.
Capture the Flag Scene
The trailer shows a close-up moment of a bridge high up in the trees. On the bridge, there were several campers in orange shirts running. There are many reasons why I am eager to see this scene. One reason is because of how stunning this scene looks in the trailer, but another reason is because, in the books, there is so much action. I’m looking forward to seeing all the fighting scenes.
Lotus Casino Scene
It is well-known by the Percy Jackson fandom that the movies are horrible (this is an understatement). However, the best scene from the first movie is the Lotus Casino scene. For those unfamiliar with the movies, Percy, Annabeth and Grover go to Vegas and get trapped at the Lotus Casino. Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” plays in the background during this scene. I am curious to see how this scene plays out in the show and if they will include this song again (I will be very disappointed if they don’t).
Percy vs. Ares Fight Scene
In the first book of the series, Ares, the God of War, causes many problems for the leading trio. Near the end of the book, there is a huge fight scene between Ares and Percy. In the show, WWE fighter Edge will be playing the role of Ares. I won’t spoil anything for you, but I know this scene will be fun to watch because of its potential. I think it will also be fun to see a 12-year-old fighting a professional wrestler.
The Actors
Finally, one of the things that I am most excited about in this adaptation is the cast. Since the casting announcement, many fans have criticized the casting, specifically Leah playing Annabeth. Fans have an issue with this casting because Leah isn’t blonde, and Annabeth being blonde is an integral part of the series. While I understand that people are worried this detail may change the show’s storyline, I know that Leah will do a great job. If Rick Riordan believes in her, so do I. However, I am most looking forward to seeing Walker as Percy. Walker was in the movie The Adam Project with Ryan Renolds, where he delivered a fantastic performance and had the perfect amount of sass that makes him the ideal Percy.
I want to know, what are you most excited about the show?