Summary
- Disney+ is investing heavily in the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, with each episode having a budget of $12-15 million.
- The new series aims to be faithful to the original material and has enlisted Rick Riordan, the author of the books, as a direct collaborator.
- The young stars of the show, including Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri, better represent the ages of their characters compared to the previous films.
Just over two months separate us from the premiere of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the second attempt to bring the franchise created by Rick Riordan in 2005 to the screen. This time, in series format, and it seems that Disney+ has invested enough to make it a hit.
In 2010, Fox attempted to build a cinematic universe based on Riordan’s work. And, although both Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, were successful at the box office, they were not very well received by fans or critics. So the studio decided not to continue with the story.
In 2020, months after the launch of Disney+, the House of Mouse confirmed that they were developing a new live-action adaptation of the literary saga, with Riordan as a direct collaborator to ensure they were faithful to the original material. And it seems that the studio is determined to make the series a success, judging by what they have invested in it.
Through Variety it was confirmed that each episode of the first season of the show had a budget of between $12 and $15 million. Which means that, considering the lower number, the first installment of eight episodes costed around $96 million, surpassing the $95 million budget of the first film.
While the budget for Percy Jackson and the Olympians episodes may seem low compared to other similar series such as The Rings of Power ($58 million per episode) or House of the Dragon ($20 million per episode), the series has a budget similar to productions like One Piece ($17 million per episode), The Mandalorian, The Sandman and Game of Thrones, which all costed about $15 million per episode. In fact, the budget of the series is placed above other productions like Halo, which is undoubtedly good news for fans.
Related: 15 Best Sci-Fi Movies on Disney+ To Watch Right Now
The stars of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Disney+
The key to the success of the Percy Jackson story, as happens in sagas such as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, lies in the bond between the main characters. The leading trio in the story of Riordan, Percy, Annabeth and Grover are the heart of the saga and Disney knows it very well.
One of the big criticisms received by the films was how little the protagonists really seemed like teenagers. While Logan Lerman was only 18, in the first book Percy is 12, while series star Walker Scobell is 14. Annabeth, who was played by a 24-year-old Alexandra Daddario, is 12 too, so the contrast was even greater. The new Annabeth Leah Sava Jeffries, is also 14 years old.
Grover’s case is a little more complex, of course, being a mythological creature. In the original story he is over 30 years old, but he must look like a 16-year-old teenager. However, Brandon T. Jackson was 26 when he played him. Aryan Simhadri, who will play him in the series, is 17.
Variety also shared a new set of images offering a better look at the young stars of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which releases on Disney+ on December 20:
You can view the original article HERE.
