Rick Riordan says Percy Jackson series from Disney+ 'still moving forward'

Rick Riordan says Percy Jackson series from Disney+ 'still moving forward'
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Every passing day brings the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show closer to existence. Following the unpopular movie adaptations Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in the 2010s, original author Rick Riordan announced last spring that he would be producing a new TV adaptation of his beloved YA fantasy series about demigods and Greek mythology for Disney+. The COVID-19 pandemic last year made further progress difficult, but on Sunday Riordan posted an update to his blog to make fans aware of the latest developments.

"So where are we? Well, if I haven't been giving you updates as frequently as you'd like, that's just because there is really nothing new I can announce yet," Riordan wrote. "We continue to work behind the scenes, however, on many fronts at once, and everything is still moving forward. The big piece we are concentrating on now is finding the perfect director to join our team."

Riordan then listed the four main requirements they're looking for in a Percy Jackson director: Are they available? Are they able and willing to work with young actors? Are they someone the folks at Disney can get excited about and feel confident about? Are they someone who knows, loves, and understands the Percy Jackson source material?

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Everett Collection From left, Brandon T. Jackson, Logan Lerman, and Alexandra Daddario in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians."

Despite these requirements, Riordan notes that finding a director "seems to be the last major hurdle before we can get rolling on the project in earnest." With the pilot script complete and the season 1 outline set — the plan is to tackle each book in the series per season, starting with The Lightning Thief — finding a director will allow Riordan and his team to begin the next stage of the process: casting.

"I cannot stress enough what a huge 'win' that is, and it really did take the better part of 15 months to get there," Riordan says of finishing the pilot script and season outline. "When this series moves forward (fingers and toes crossed, of course) I am confident it will be the show we've been waiting for. As soon as I know more, I will update you. Until then, stay safe and well, and keep reading!"

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