The “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series at Disney+ has cast two more major gods, and we have the details.
Zeus
Cast as Zeus, the all-powerful god of the sky, and leader of Mount Olympus, is actor Lance Reddick.
The character is behind Percy’s mission, and the bio says: “Zeus is tempestuous and mistrustful. He’s promised to wage a war if his stolen thunderbolt is not returned.”
Reddick is known for movies and series such as “The Wire,” “Bosch,” Angel Has Fallen,” and will next be seen reprising his role of Charon in “John Wick 4.”
According to “Percy Jackson” author Rick Riordan, who is also behind the series, “In all his roles, Lance projects an aura of authority and power that makes him perfect for the king of Olympus. As I told him when we met, he has so much gravitas he could pull planets out of alignment, and when he makes his displeasure known to Percy Jackson . . . wow, wait until you see that scene.”
Poseidon
Cast as the god of the sea Poseiden, who is Percy’s father, is Toby Stephens.
Per his official character description, “Although seemingly absent in Percy’s life, many of Poseidon’s qualities live in Percy; stubbornness, impulsiveness and loyalty. Though he has stayed away throughout Percy’s life, his deep feelings for his son (and Percy’s mother, Sally) are evident.
Stephens has recently starred in shows like the second season of “Alex Rider” at Amazon, the reboot of “Lost in Space” at Netflix, and the Starz historical drama “Black Sails.”
Riordan also chimed in on this casting, saying, “When we finally meet Poseidon toward the end of season one (just as we do in the book), Toby is incredible on screen. When he delivered some of Poseidon’s iconic lines, I got chills.”
A Series Update
In addition to the casting announcement, Riordan gave an update on the series itself:
“We have done almost all the photography for our eight episodes. Right now, we are just doing some pick-up scenes to fill in different angles and expand some of the sequences.
I have seen early director’s cuts for episodes 1-6 and all the dailies for episodes seven and eight, so I am now confident in predicting… yeah, if you’re a fan of the books or even if you just love a good adventure, you are going to love this show.
We still have months and months of post-production work to do, but the team is wrapping up in Vancouver with a sense of pride and accomplishment.“
About the Series
Based on the Rick Riordan book series of the same name, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” follows the titular 12-year old demi-god (Walker Scobell) who is just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt.
With help from his friends Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.
Others cast in recurring or guest roles, in addition to Reddick and Stephens, include Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullally, Timm Sharp, Dior Goodjohn, Olivea Morton, and Charlie Bushnell, along with recent additions like Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Duplass, and Timothy Omundson.
The series is set to air on Disney+ sometime in 2024. Riordan will also have a new book in the series debut later this year.
