“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” began out as a bedtime story, grew into a New York Times bestselling series, and, as of last year, was adapted on screen for a second time as a Disney+ TV show. Season two comes out Dec. 10 and in honor of the occasion, it seems to be time once again to bash the movies for all they are worth (which really isn’t much), and review the spectacular job Disney has done on the show thus far.
It is an almost unanimous opinion among fans that the Percy Jackson movie adaptations, “The Lightning Thief” and “Sea of Monsters” (yes, the producer forgot to put “and” in front of the second movie), might possibly be the worst transition across media ever seen.
The author himself, Rick Riordan, has renounced the movies and begged old and new fans alike not to judge his franchise on either movie, not to mention his adamant refusal to watch the sequel when it came out.
As both a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books and a harsh critic of the movies, I have often examined the significant differences between the films and the hugely popular TV show, and have concluded that the biggest issue was the role Riordan played in producing the movie.
Consider that in the TV show, he played a highly influential role, contributing to the writer’s room and holding the titles of co-creator and executive producer, in addition to his personal involvement in casting and set decisions.
On the other hand, you have the movies. Riordan was (on the contracts) considered a consultant during the production of the first movie. Despite his job, his multiple warnings about the negative direction the movies were taking, and his advice on exactly what they needed to change, he was completely disregarded by the studio (i.e., the 20th Century Fox team) and pushed into the corner, where he could shout about script changes and cast ages from afar. When the first movie was an absolute flop, the studio blocked him out completely, and he, in turn, absolutely refused any involvement whatsoever.
Now, let’s take a closer look at why author involvement can have such a significant impact on the show’s success.
Riordan was deeply involved in the creative and developmental process of the entire show, selecting cast members, contributing to the writers’ room, and serving as Executive Producer, among other roles. He also specifically insisted that the new adaptation be a TV series, to allow for extra room to tell the story and be more faithful to the source material.
The studio has, thus far, been very receptive to his suggestions and opinions. In an interview with Variety, Karey Burke, president of Disney’s 20th Television, said, “The North Star in the development process was to honor the books and Rick’s vision.”
They have even gone so far as to make adhering closely to the wishes of the fans a top priority, which is rarely at the forefront of most producers’ minds.
That deep connection between the studio, author, and fans is almost unique. Riordan is constantly on X (formerly known as Twitter) answering questions, giving hints, and asking for feedback and opinions. This channel of communication, which goes straight from fans to the studio, is almost unheard of in today’s fandoms, where a huge gap usually exists between creators and consumers.
Indeed, in one 2020 X post, a fan wrote, “It’s refreshing that Uncle Rick hates the PJO movies even more than we do.” Riodan replied, “Well, to you guys, it’s a couple hours’ entertainment. To me, it’s my life’s work going through a meat grinder when I pleaded with them not to do it.”
Uncle Rick, the nickname given to Riordan by fans, has made similar statements many times, making his opinions on the movies very clear to everyone.
In 2018, Riordan released an extensive collection of emails he had written to 20th Century Fox, strongly voicing his views on the script, casting, and more.
Riordan’s main complaint was the script. It utterly sapped the storyline of everything “Percy” stands for. The magic of a fantasy? Gone. The beautiful themes of a found family and belonging? Poof. Even the educational aspect of Greek Myths was absolutely decimated. The studio tried to turn “Percy” into a serious, dark, high-stakes teen action film. Needless to say, it didn’t work.
Aside from that, it is an awful script. In one of his released emails, Riordan wrote, “Having said that, here’s the bad news: The script as a whole is terrible.” Without the books to explain away the plot holes, inconsistencies, and massive deviations, the script “doesn’t work as a story in its own right,” as he rightly told the producers.
Another one of the biggest issues was the age of the actors. For some reason, 20th Century Fox decided to age up the characters. As the fan base falls within the 10-13-year-old range, millions of kids genuinely relate to 12-year-old Percy and his struggles. Portraying the main characters as 17-year-olds diminishes the magic of a middle-grade series.
None of this is even to mention the fact that a 17-year-old Percy completely sidesteps the entire point of the plot, which hinges on a prophecy that foresees Percy either saving or destroying the world at age 16. Although Fox ultimately portrayed the characters as 16 instead of 17, the actors playing them were in the 17 – 25 year range, which still alienated the core audience of Percy as Riordan had warned it would.
Riordan, understandably, being busy with cold-hearted editors gutting the series he had put his blood, sweat, and tears into, did not manage to address a couple of points fans had been quick to point out in his stead.
Firstly, the utter inaccuracy of the movies. The characters don’t match their personalities; the world-building absolutely sucked. No cabin hierarchy, no dangerous but loveable camp, and, get this, no oracle. No prophecy, which then, for some reason, pops up in the second movie. The entire point of the plot hinges on a prophecy and a quest to find Zeus’s missing Lightning Bolt. (Hence the title of book one)
Point two: Characters. Kronos ends up rising in the second movie, instead of waiting for the fifth, where he belongs, which completely undermines the plot and cuts off any chance of three more movies, thankfully. In addition to Kronos’s early arrival, the god of war, Ares, a significant character, was cut entirely from the film.
Point three: More inaccuracy. Surprise, surprise. The rules don’t work, no monsters reform, and the mist is never explained satisfactorily. In short, some major mistakes were made.
Fortunately, fans can rest easy. We have navigated the storm of questionable cast portrayals, plot holes, and outright disrespectful and inaccurate obstinacy, and broken through to the glorious dawn of a faithful adaptation, namely, the TV show. From the beginning, Riordan and fans alike have praised this new adaptation. There are, of course, some minor squabbles, but every fandom has its bumps along the way. Someone, somewhere, will always find something to complain about, but luckily, most of the fandom is currently in agreement, or at least respectful of other fans’ opinions.
When Disney announced it was moving forward with a new adaptation, Mr. Riordan sat down with his wife, Rebecca, also known as Becky Riordan, and they discussed the changes that would occur with or without their influence. In the end, they decided to give Hollywood another chance, and they jumped right on board.
This time around, the studio has learned from its mistakes. Although that may be because it’s an entirely different studio. Anyway. Riordan has been at the forefront of the show from the moment it took off, and, as he has told fans, is extremely busy with preparations for the release of the second season, coming to Disney+ on December 10, as well as the filming of season three, which began earlier this year.
In collaboration with Industrial Light and Magic, a company founded by George Lucas for the production of the “Star Wars” franchise, the Percy TV show has established itself among some of the best effects to date. ILM deals in visual effects, practical effects, and CGI, or computer-generated imagery. This partnership has expanded the world-building and characters in the world of Percy Jackson by a hundredfold, delighting fans with accurate interpretations of their favorite settings, monsters and characters alike.
The cast, though a controversial topic at first, has proven themselves to be incredibly talented actors to the majority of the fandom and is appreciated by all those with an open mind. The three main characters are Percy Jackson, played by Walker Scobell of “The Adam Project,” Annabeth Chase, played by Leah Sava Jeffries, who debuted on “Empire,” and Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood, who most recently played a minor role in “Freakier Friday.”
The show provides relief for all who are still reeling from the disastrous film duology and incorporates an educational quality woven quietly throughout, making it suitable for classrooms after reading the books. In short, the show is highly recommended for “Percy Jackson” book fans and new fans alike. At the same time, the movies are definitely not recommended for anyone who does not want to be obligated to claw their eyes out after.
