Big casting news has just been announced, as Walker Scobell has joined the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians to star in the lead role. The news, reported by Variety, follows Scobell impressing viewers and critics with his role as a younger version of Ryan Reynolds' character in the Netflix movie The Adam Project. The feature also marked Scobell's movie debut making the child actor an instant star with over 92 million hours spent by Netflix subscribers watching the film in its first weekend alone.
An adaptation of the book series by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a fresh reboot that's unconnected to the previous feature films. The new live-action series "tells the fantastical tale of the titular 12-year-old modern demigod (Scobell), who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus."
Percy is also described as a "smart and compassionate kid with a sharp sense of humor. He’s always seen himself as an outsider, in no small part because of how the world sees his ADHD and dyslexia. He’s impulsive and rambunctious and is quick to anger when things seem unfair to him. But beneath his cynicism is an affectionate son and loyal friend who just wants to do right by those he cares about. If only he could find a place where he fits in."
Original author Rick Riordan is heavily involved in the production of the series. Riordan is writing the pilot with Jon Steinberg with James Bobin on board to direct. Steinberg will also oversee the series with Dan Shotz and executive produce alongside Bobin, Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, and Gotham Group's Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.
Rick Riordan Says the Percy Jackson Team Has Been Working Hard to Find the Perfect Cast
Rick Riordan has been pretty hands-on with production to help make Percy Jackson and the Olympians a faithful adaptation. The author has previously described how the Percy team has been auditioning different actors for the main roles of the series, and the challenge was not only in finding talent that was good for each of their respective roles, but also a group that all had excellent chemistry together. Perhaps that means other casting announcements will be coming out soon.
"As previously announced, we have launched into the audition process for the three main roles: Percy, Annabeth and Grover," Riordan said in a video posted to YouTube in January. "The perfect trio has to be found first, as that will inform a lot of the other casting choices. It’s not just a matter of finding a great actor for each role. It’s a matter of finding a group of great actors that have good chemistry when they act together. That process is ongoing, but we are making good progress. Don’t expect any announcements on that front for a while."
Percy Jackson and the Olympians doesn't have a release date set for Disney+ at this time, but the series will start production this summer.