When bestselling author Rick Riordan’s first two Percy Jackson novels were adapted for the big screen, the author wasn’t a big part of the process. As a result, the movies took a turn, drastically aging up the characters and trying to use future plot points earlier in the stories than they were.
Fans of the novels might have been disappointed in them, but they have another chance to see the stories brought to life. Riordan is a part of the upcoming adaptation for Disney Plus. The streaming service is adapting Percy Jackson’s story into a series rather than a movie, allowing for the story to be told with (most of) its original plot intact instead of having to cut or move around story pieces drastically.
Fans are expecting that the streamer will also keep the characters in this version closer to the original ages of the novels. Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief begins with Percy as 12 years old, and his series of novels ends with him at 16. While some of the other kids he encounters at Camp Half-Blood, a refuge for those with Greek gods for parents, are a little older than him, the ages will still likely skew younger than they did when Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, and Alexandra Daddario were cast as Percy, Grover, and Annabeth, respectively. There is a wealth of young talent in the entertainment industry as teen and tween programming has exploded beyond Disney and Nickelodeon to streaming sites, meaning there are a lot of actors out there who would be great for the series.
When Brandon T. Jackson played Grover, he was a little too old for the role. While Grover is supposed to be approaching 30 in the novels, he looks like a teenager. The role could easily be taken on by someone who actually is a teenager if they can play an old soul, or someone in their 20s who understands how to still play a teen.
Caleb McLaughlin got his big break thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things, and he’s built up a resume full of variety ever since. His knack for humor and sarcasm in Stranger Things could really allow him to have fun with the role of Grover, the satyr tasked with keeping an eye on Percy and Annabeth who becomes their closest friend. The only trouble is that McLaughlin is still tied to Stranger Things, which is an ongoing series. That might make committing to another television series, especially as a main character, a little difficult.
Owen Joyner got his big break in the business thanks to Nickelodeon. As a teenager, he appeared in several projects for the network, including Knight Squad, an action-comedy series, so he does have experience handling a (fake) sword.
The role of Luke needs to be someone a little older than the rest of the teens making up the main cast. He’s someone Annabeth looks up to when she first discovers her demigod heritage, and he’s someone who always quickly befriends newcomers to camp, so he’s got to have a certain amount of charm. Joyner has a knack for charming audiences, and as someone who almost always plays the good guy, it would be fun to see him take on a role that requires him to betray those closest to him in the end. Luke is motivated by his anger at the Greek gods not acknowledging their demigod children. His rage fuels most of his decisions. Joyner could really surprise audiences with the darkness and anger of Luke.
Ashlyn Jade Lopez has an incredibly long resume for someone of her young age. The teenager got her big break playing the younger version of Nadia in flashback on The Vampire Diaries, and has had a slew of supporting and guest roles in television projects ever since. Most of her roles require her to be the supportive big sister or best friend, so a role like Clarisse would be very different for her.
Clarisse is a little rough around the edges, someone who takes pride in the fact that she’s the daughter of the god of war, and is just as fierce during a game of Capture the Flag as she is in an actual battle. She might not participate in Percy’s first main quest, but her presence becomes larger as the series continues, making it a role Lopez could grow with.
Lopez does have an existing relationship with Disney casting directors as well. She’s auditioned for several Disney TV projects, but only recently appeared in the Disney Channel original movie Christmas Again.
Alyvia Alyn Lind might be a little too old to play Annabeth as she’s already playing a high schooler in the SyFy series Chucky, but Annabeth initially does seem older than Percy as she’s taller and has more experience in the world of demigods, so the age difference might not be too big of a deal for the actress.
Lind has demonstrated her versatility over the last few years in the industry, playing mean girl turned ally in Chucky, having played an American Girl for the book-turned-movie franchise, and even starred as a young Dolly Parton. She also has experience playing a child genius who isn’t afraid to get in a fight. She appeared as Angelica in the Netflix series Daybreak, a ten-year-old who had a penchant for making Molotov cocktails to use against zombies. Annabeth would be a great high profile role for her.
Again, like McLaughlin, Lind’s Chucky is an ongoing series, so she likely wouldn’t be available to play Annabeth, but her casting would be great.
Depending on just how long it takes to get the series to the filming stage, Sonny Bustamante might be aging out of the role as casting takes place. The young actor is 14, which is close enough to Percy’s age in the books to work in the role, but growth spurts could make him look older.
Bustamante is best known for his role as the younger brother of Julie Molina in Netflix’s musical dramedy Julie and the Phantoms. Netflix canceled the series after only one season, so Bustamante didn’t get the chance to return to the role. As Carlos, he spent a lot of time cracking jokes, ghost hunting, and bonding with his big sister. He’s got the humor to nail some of Percy’s funnier moments, but there are also scenes that indicate Bustamante could grow into Percy’s more dramatic moments as well.
Despite him being older than Percy was in the novels, fans can’t argue against Logan Lerman giving a great performance as the title character. As a result, there are plenty of fans who would love to see Lerman return for a cameo in the new series. Quite a few would love to see Lerman take over the role of Poseidon, which would be a nice nod to him passing the torch to a new actor.
Lerman, however, is an incredibly versatile actor and would be great in a variety of roles. In the Percy Jackson novels, the gods can appear in whatever form they choose, so, while he could be an option for Poseidon, he could also appear as Hermes, the father that never paid enough attention to Luke, or Ares, who is incredibly proud of the fierce warrior that Clarisse becomes. Lerman definitely deserves his shot at an appearance.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians is currently in development for Disney Plus, and is expected to begin filming in 2022.
