Percy Jackson Author Slams Movie Adaptations

The harsh feelings that the creator of the Percy Jackson book series has for the feature film adaptations of his books was made clear once again by author Rick Riordan. When replying to a fan who was inquiring about a potential moment of censorship in the film on the Disney+ platform, Riordan said: “I don’t know, but clearly it’s a mistake. They should censor the entire thing. Just two hours of blank screen.” Fans quickly noticed and delighted in Riordan making note once again of his disapproval, with the author adding: “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. So yeah. But it’s fine. All fine. We’re gonna fix it soon …”

Riordan of course refers to the recent news that the Percy Jackson book series is being re-adapted, this time as a television series for the Disney+ streaming service. The author announced the news himself earlier this year confirming his involvement in the new adaptation, a different development from the previous. He went on to add one more note regarding his feelings on the original films, tweeting:

“Finally, I still have not seen the movies, and don’t plan on ever doing so. I judge them from having read the scripts, because I care most about the story. I certainly have nothing against the very talented actors. Not their fault. I’m just sorry they got dragged into that mess.”

Riordan’s sentiments are seemingly shared by the actors of those films as none other than Logan Lerman, who played the titular role in the previous film adaptations of the books, expressed excitement for the reboot news. After it was announced, Lerman tweeted: “Excited to see this! Hope it gets the adaptation the books deserve.”

First published in 2005, the first novel in Riordan’s series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, introducing fans to the titular character and his world that was infused with Greek mythology. Should the new series prove popular, Disney will have a lot of material to mine from. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians book series ran for five books total but also saw a short-story companion book released and a sequel series titled The Heroes of Olympus. Yet another book series, The Trials of Apollo, has also been released by Riordan, which could no doubt be a spin-off in its own right on Disney+.

“For the past decade, you’ve worked hard to champion a faithful on-screen adaptation of Percy Jackson’s world,” Riordan said when the series was announced. “We can’t say much more at this stage but we are very excited about the idea of a live-action series of the highest quality, following the storyline of the original Percy Jackson five-book series, starting with The Lightning Thief in season one. Rest assured that Becky and I will be involved in person in every aspect of the show. There will be much more news in the future, but for now, we have a lot of work to do! Buckle up, demigods. It’s going to be a fantastic exciting ride!”