This article won an honorable mention in the 2024 Michigan Interscholastic Press Association spring awards ceremony.
Enthusiasts of the book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, written by Rick Riordan, have been wanting a quality adaptation ever since the film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010) was released. It was not received well by fans of the franchise as they felt it was not a faithful adaptation.
After a three-year-long wait, fans have finally been given a well-done television adaptation of the fantasy book series. The eight-episode show premiered on Disney+ on December 19, 2023.
Debuting in 2005, the book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians has been beloved by fans because of its comedy, lovable characters, and mythological elements. In 2010, the film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was released. It was not received well by fans of the franchise as they felt it was not a faithful adaptation. However, directors James Bobin, Anders Engström, and Jet Wilkinson have focused on the show staying more true to the book series.
The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians brings the first book, The Lightning Thief, to television screens. In this novel, we meet young Percy Jackson who grapples with a vigorous quest after being confronted with the fact that he is a demigod–a child of a human and a god or goddess– and a son of Poseidon, god of the sea. His best friend Grover Underwood and hesitant newfound friend Annabeth Chase join him on his journey.
Percy’s objective in the first book is to locate and retrieve the stolen Master Bolt that belongs to Zeus, the king of the gods who controls lightning, and stop an impending war between the Olympians with the help of his companions.
Tackling the adaptation of such a classic and action-packed story is a hard task for screenwriters and directors to accomplish, with the original book readers wanting a faithful version. After reading the books and watching the show, I believe that this was a great series both on its own and as a translation of the book.
With Percy Jackson, it is clear creators Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg strived to remain faithful to the original works. The show maintained all of the elements that allowed the book to be so memorable. The nostalgic atmosphere of Camp Half-Blood, the woven-in Greek Mythology stories, and the childhood friendships each brought all of the iconic moments to life in a way that triggered the nostalgia in the original book readers and sparked an interest in the story within the new fans.
With any book-to-screen adaptation, not everything from the book can be brought to life. There are bound to be a few obvious changes and things not kept in the story due to the limited episode counts and the fact that a book format is different from a show, and although there were a few aspects I was hoping to see in the show that didn’t make the cut from the book, the changes that were added fit the story perfectly and added something new.
One thing this show did well was introduce the story in a new light, succeeding in doing this through some of the changes made.
For example, Sally Jackson, Percy’s selfless mother, played by Virginia Kull, stands up to her verbally abusive husband. As in the books, she doesn’t defend herself as much as to protect Percy.
Also, the adapted portrayal of the Greek monster Medusa, played by Jessica Parker Kennedy, is rightfully more true to her real story in the myths than it was pictured in the books. In the books, Riordan went along with the classic tale that Medusa was simply a villain, but the show depicted her true story, that she was not a plain monster, but a young woman wrongfully spited for being with the man she loved. Changes like these allow the story to be adapted to fit more modern times and for Riordan to alter some aspects of the original story.
Junior and a longtime fan of the book series Anna Raven admired the show despite some of the changes made.
“[The show] did a lot better than the movies that came out in the 2000s,” Raven said. “There were some spots where it wasn’t totally book accurate, but you could tell it was still carrying the story in the same sort of way.”
One aspect I really liked about the show was that it was able to have a mature feel in addition to the younger-reader features. It wasn’t just a show made for ten-year-olds from start to finish, it was adapted in a way that older fans could enjoy it as well. This makes perfect sense, as the majority of the original fans read the book series in middle school at a young age and are well into their teen years with the release of the show.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is made special by its titular character, Percy Jackson, played by Walker Scobell. Scobell is a talented and hilarious young actor who was previously seen in The Adam Project (2022).
The character of Percy Jackson is big shoes for Walker to fill, as the character has already been tried before with the film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by actor Logan Lerman, and as a beloved book series, many fans feel protective over the character. However, Scobell’s depiction of Percy is far more accurate and true to the book series than the movie version, since the movies aged up the characters and didn’t follow the story well at all. As soon as Scobell’s playing Percy was announced, fans had little doubt he would perfectly capture the essence of the character, and I wholeheartedly agree.
On his website, Riordan announced Scobell’s casting in a post titled “Meet Percy Jackson!”
“It was obvious to me and the rest of the team that Walker had the perfect mix of comedic timing, sweetness, rebelliousness, snark, and heroism to embody our hero Percy Jackson,” Riordan said. “Please give Walker a huge Camp Half-Blood welcome. He is going to surpass your highest expectations from the very first line of the show.”
Scobell brought Percy’s cheeky humor and sarcasm to his character on screen in a perfectly executed way. After watching the series, I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the role.
Raven especially also loved Scobell’s performance.
“I think all of [the actors] did really well,” Raven said, “[Especially] the main character Percy, his actor Walker was perfect.”
Along with the main character Percy, Annabeth Chase plays another iconic role in the Percy Jackson franchise. She served as a prominent female heroine. The daughter of Athena is a brave, wise and quick-witted young girl. Her character provides a role model for young readers, including me. Fans have waited a long time to see who would bring Annabeth to life. On May 5, 2022, it was announced young actress Leah Sava Jeffries would be playing her. Some fans, however, believed this was a maladaptation because of her skin color.
Despite Jeffries not physically matching Annabeth’s character description, she was a fantastic cast. Jeffries depicts perfectly what makes Annabeth such a good character. Jeffries is satirical and entertaining and was able to successfully portray Annebeth’s development.
On the topic of Jeffries casting, author Riordan wrote a post on his website, titled “Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase.”
“The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be,” Riordan said. “Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth’s strength. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be. If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. You have no one else to blame.”
Jeffries and Scobell brought the main duo’s chemistry to life perfectly.
Annabeth and Percy’s friendship starts out rocky, with them making snarky remarks and bumping heads at every turn, and Jeffries’s performance, combined with Scobell’s, perfectly portrays the duo’s hilarious bickering. Overall, she was a great selection to play Annabeth and although there were a few ‘off’ scenes in my opinion–I think any child actor has some scenes where they just don’t act the best– I believe she will continue to grow throughout the series.
Since the author himself helped work on the writing and production, I was not surprised when the last scene played of the season finale and I was satisfied with the entirety of the show. It did such a good job of integrating some of the most iconic moments from the books, such as ‘Riptide,’ Percy’s weapon of choice pen-turned-sword, Percy and Annabeth’s respective nicknames for each other: “Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl,” and the blue food Sally makes for Percy throughout his childhood.
“The series depicts a genuinely inclusive world, showcasing storylines and characters that will captivate fans for the next decade,” said Aramide Tinubu of Variety. “At long last, Riordan’s work has been given the extensive visual adaptation it deserves.”
All in all, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians show did a fantastic job of bringing in the elements that made the book great, while simultaneously giving the story a more mature feel for the older fans. I believe this version of Percy Jackson made waves–pun intended–in introducing the story to a new generation while also giving book readers the loyal adaptation we deserve.
