According to an article in Comicbook, Disney+ has revealed the recasting of Zeus in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a year after the untimely death of Lance Reddick (The Wire, Fringe).
The new casting of one of the most important characters in the Percy Jackson stories, Zeus, is set to be taken on by actor Courtney B. Vance (The Preacher’s Wife, Lovecraft Country). The news of Vance’s casting helped show creator Rick Riordan’s (Today, Rock Center) worries to bed.
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Comicbook then continued to include a statement from Vance about his grief after Reddick’s passing. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to join the extraordinary cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. There are few moments in an actor’s career when you can honestly say that you’re about to board a series that has such a devoted fan base filled with characters beloved around the world and is based on a wildly successful book series. I know that stepping into this role of Zeus will be a memorable experience and I’ll be giving my brother, Lance Reddick, who left us way too soon, a heavenly hug.
The show Percy Jackson and the Olympians has gained so much attention and recognition. The first season comes after the book The Lightning Thief, which follows a series of books based on Percy’s stories. The Lightning Thief follows a 12-year-old boy who finds out he’s a demigod. Walker Scobell (The Adam Project, Secret Headquarters) voices Percy Jackson in the book as a loner and outcast who has felt misunderstood his entire life. Midway through the season, Zeus accuses Percy of stealing his Master Bolt. He then embarks on a cross-country quest to retrieve it. The cast also includes Annabeth and Grover, played by Leah Sava Jeffries (Empire, Rel) and Aryan Simhadri (Just Roll With It, The Casagrandes).
When the show returns for season two, it will follow the storyline of the next book in the series, Sea of Monsters. Although Zeus doesn’t play a major role in this installment, his daughter Thalia will make her debut. Thalia is a pivotal character in the novel, especially since Percy is believed to be the sole living child of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.
According to Disney+’s official summary in the article from Comicbook, the cast “returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing, and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.”
For those who want to learn more about the world of Greek gods and goddesses, season one of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is on Disney+. Make sure to catch up on the series before season two is released in 2025.