Disney+ Grants ‘Percy Jackson' The Sea Of Monsters With Season 2 Renewal
Was anyone else under the impression it was ordered with a multi-season commitment to guarantee the full story? Just me?
Oh gods, we’re going back to Camp Half-Blood. Disney+ has officially renewed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for a second season.
From Disney Branded Television, produced by 20th Television and based on Rick Riordan’s bestselling book series published by Disney Hyperion, Percy Jackson and the Olympians wrapped up its first season last week. Based on the first book The Lightning Thief, the season premiered on December 19 and reportedly generated more than 110 million hours streamed to date, which when divided by the runtime, means about 20.6 million total views. That suggests the season’s audience grew as it rolled out. The premiere episode was shared between Disney+ and Hulu and garnered 26.2 million views in its first three weeks. it saw 12-year-old modern demigod Percy, played by Walker Scobell, coming to terms with his newfound godly powers when Zeus, played by the late Lance Reddick accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Percy takes his new friends Annabeth, played by Leah Sava Jeffries, and Grover, played by Aryan Simhadri, across America to find it and restore order to Olympus. The renewal was revealed by Disney CEO Bob Iger during the company’s Q1 2024 earnings call, along with sequel dates and…swifter things.
“Rich in magic, wonder, adventure and heart, Percy Jackson and the Olympians captivated the imaginations of viewers of all ages everywhere,” Ayo Davis, who is Disney Branded Television’s president, said. “We’re thrilled to embark on an exciting new quest and a season two with Rick Riordan, our fantastic partners at 20th Television, and the exceptional ensemble of cast and creative talent that bring this story to life.” That second season, as expected by fans and casuals who know where the first adaptation attempt went, will adapt the next book The Sea of Monsters (the 2013 movie dropped the The). It is basically a retelling of The Odyssey, in which Percy, and his demigod friends search for the Golden Fleece and encounter many of the fabled characters including Circe and the Cyclops.
Riordan himself said “I can’t wait to bring the next season of Percy Jackson to Disney+! Raise anchors. Hoist the mainsail. All hands on deck, demigods. We’re heading for the Sea of Monsters!” When the series was still developing it was already being discussed as if the full series, which was five books at the time of greenlight, was going to be adapted. A sixth book, The Chalice of the Gods, released last September, and Wrath of the Triple Goddess set for this September, making the publicly known parts of a new trilogy.
The trades don’t bother relitigating any more of the supporting cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, Megan Mullally as Alecto/Mrs. Dodds, Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus/Mr. D, Jay Duplass as Hades, Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa, Toby Stephens as Poseidon, Virginia Kull as Percy’s mother Sally Jackson, Glynn Turman as Chiron/Mr. Brunner, and Adam Copeland, aka WWE wrestler Edge, as Ares. Other campers included Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan, Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue, Olivea Morton as Nancy Bobofit, Suzanne Cryer as Echidna, and Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano. It’s possible they’re running on the belief that if a god’s actor is too busy to return they could change face or something with ease.
Created by Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season 1 is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick, his wife Rebecca Riordan, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson and Craig Silverstein.
