It was announced via Deadline that famous songwriter, actor, director, and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, His Dark Materials) has been cast in a key guest-starring role in the new Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
According to Deadline, Miranda is a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, The Kane Chronicles), something that he shares with his young son Sebastian. In the new series, he will be playing Hermes, the messenger of the Olympian gods and the god of travelers and thieves. This interpretation of the messenger god is charismatic and boisterous while also being a little bit of a trickster. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to heal his strained relationship with his son Luke Castellan who will be played by Charlie Bushnell (Diary of a Future President). The messenger god hesitates to help Percy and his friends on their quest because he believes that sometimes getting involved is more troublesome than it’s worth.
The cast for the main characters was announced during the summer. Percy Jackson will be played by Walker Scobell (The Adam Project, Secret Headquarters); Leah Jeffries (Empire, Beast) will star as Annabeth Chase; and Aryan Simhadri (Cheaper by the Dozen, The Casagrandes) will be Grover Underwood. Other cast members announced include Jason Mantzoukas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Close Enough) as the Greek god of wine Dionysus; Glynn Turman (The Devil You Know, Black-ish) as Chiron; Dior Goodjohn (Head of the Class, Raven’s Home) as Clarisse La Rue; Adam Copeland (Vikings, Money Plane) will play the Greek god of war Ares; Jessica Parker Kennedy (Black Sails, The Flash) will star as the Greek monster Medusa; Virginia Kull (Big Little Lies, The Looming Tower) as Sally Jackson, Percy’s mother; and, Timm Sharp (On the Verge, Together Together) will play Gabe Ugliano, Percy’s mean stepfather.
The series is currently in production in Vancouver. Riordan and Jon Steinberg (Black Sails, Jericho) wrote the pilot episode and James Bobin (Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Mysterious Benedict Society) will direct it. Steinberg and Riordan will also work as producers for the show.
The series is based on the bestselling book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and it follows the unbelievable story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy, as he comes to terms with his newfound divine heritage when Zeus, the Greek god of the skies and thunder, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Percy then must embark on a quest accompanied by his friends Annabeth and Grover to find the lightning and restore order to Olympus.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is set to premiere in 2024 on Disney+. If you can’t wait, don’t miss out on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series and its sequel series Heroes of Olympus. Also, don’t forget to check out the teaser trailer below.