Missing out on the hype, demigod?
For those who haven’t heard it yet, one of the most widely-loved coming-of-age novels recently got greenlit by Disney+ to be turned into a series adaptation. Ever since Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, announced that he’s been working on getting the novels produced into a TV series back in 2020, fans have been enthusiastically waiting for the good news. Now that the first book, The Lightning Thief, has been confirmed to be in production, social media has been abuzz with those who are looking forward to this re-do after the films left a bad taste.
Speaking of re-do, conversations about the series production have been going around about what aspects of the books – especially The Lightning Thief – fans would love to see onscreen. As readers know, a lot of interesting scenes are in the novels which didn’t get translated into the movies that were made.
Here are some parts of the Percy Jackson series that fans and non-fans alike might look forward to seeing in the upcoming series adaptation.
*Spoilers warning: This article mentions details from Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades*
1. Age-appropriate Cast
One of the biggest things that PJO fans did not appreciate about the film adaptations was aging up the cast. For the series adaptation, they will be faithful to the ages of the characters in the novel. Percy Jackson and his gang are mostly around 12 years old during the events of the first book.
There has been a clamor for Logan Lerman to come back as Poseidon, God of the Sea. He was the actor who portrayed Percy Jackson in the two films and he has endeared himself so much to the fans that they want him to be part of the adaptation–now in the appropriate age and character for him.
2. The Three Fates
Although it’s a very short scene from the story, one of the most memorable parts of The Lightning Thief was Percy’s first encounter with The Three Fates. Even though they were not the first characters of Greek myths that the protagonist runs into, they leave a very distinct imagery on readers’ minds as they knit “the socks of death” in front of Percy and cut the thread of life. It was the first glimpse of what his journey entails throughout the books. And frankly, it’d be cool to see three grannies knitting a giant ominous sock.
3. Visiting the Oracle
Of all scenes, this could be considered the PJO trademark–which is why it is equally disappointing to not have seen this in the movie version (The Sea of Monsters movie had the Oracle, but it was a pretty brief interaction). Receiving a prophecy from the Oracle is what usually jumpstarts the adventures of campers at Camp Half-Blood. Climbing up to the attic of the Big House and hearing a creepy voice coming from a dead body that suddenly decided to sit up while being enveloped in green mist? How perfect would it have been to see that, quite literally, come to life!
4. The Gateway Arch
Another crazy section of the first book happens in The Gateway Arch, where an action scene occurs between the titular character and two characters from Greek myths: Echidna, the Mother of Monsters, and the Chimera, described as a fire-breathing she-monster having a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail. Although it might be a little on the expensive side when produced, it would be fascinating to see this dangerous mythical creature fight a barely-teenage boy.
5. Meeting the God of War
One of the arcs neglected in the films was the involvement of Ares, the God of War, and his conflict with Percy Jackson. Aside from being an important antagonist, Ares’ existence in the books gave way to a side quest where Percy and Annabeth’s lives were endangered. This, and the consequent scenes that succeed, were essential to ignite the first spark of development in the relationship between the two. A specific part of this arc is even recalled several books after, so it is quite a significant aspect of the main characters.
6. Nico di Angelo
Granted, Nico di Angelo probably wouldn’t even be in the first two seasons of the supposed series adaptation. He only makes his first appearance mid-series, in the third book, The Titan’s Curse, and not even for a long time. But how can we make a list of things that fans are looking forward to if we don’t include one of the most beloved characters of the riordanverse?
Fans are already buzzing with excitement for the son of Hades’s appearance in the third season (should it be greenlit). He gained popularity after the release of the Heroes of Olympus book series, which details the events after Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The powerful demigod is one of the few characters in the books who is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, who had his “coming out” scene in The House of Hades while battling with Cupid. He and his future boyfriend, Will Solace, will be the main characters of Rick Riordan’s next book, which will be co-written by Mark Oshiro.
We sure hope to see the things on this list in the adaptation! Stay tuned for more updates.
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