Rick Riordan’s world of Greek mythology has a new lease on life. Roughly one year after acquiring 20th Century Fox, Disney announced that it would be adapting Percy Jackson and the Olympians for Disney+, giving the franchise a fresh start following the critically-panned film adaptations from the 2010s. After two years of pre-production development, Percy Jackson commenced filming this past June, uniting a new core trio of Walker Scobell (The Adam Project), Leah Jeffries (Beast), and Aryan Simhadri (Cheaper by the Dozen). As emphasized by Riordan, these actors will be bringing fresh takes to the roles of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, as the upcoming series has no ties to the previous movies.
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Even with the two remaining separate, talent from the Percy Jackson films have offered their support to Camp Half-Blood’s new generation. Speaking with ComicBook.com’s Nicole Drum while promoting Mayfair Witches, Alexandra Daddario reflected on her time as Annabeth Chase while also offering her enthusiasm about Jeffries’s upcoming portrayal.
“It’s wonderful. That movie was so great for my career. It was great for my life,” Daddario said. “It was a wonderful part to play and I’m so excited for her that she gets to play it. The Percy Jackson books are so beloved. I was just a small part of it.”
Even though its been nine years since Daddario played the daughter of Athena, the 36-year-old actress revealed fans still approach her about Annabeth.
“It was a long time ago, and I still get recognized for it!” Daddario added.
Beyond Jeffries taking on Annabeth, Daddario praised the show as a whole due to what it does for a new audience.
“I’m really excited about the series and I hope people love it,” Daddario said. “I now have stepchildren, and you realize [shows like Percy Jackson] get kids into reading. It gets kids thinking. It gets them understanding about what it is to be different and to struggle with things.”
While the surface story of Percy Jackson pertains to gods and monsters, the core narrative shines a spotlight on many real-life issues, particularly in the form of disabilities. All demigods have their brains hardwired to understand Greek and to be battle-ready, which consequently leaves them with ADHD and dyslexia.
“I think that’s why people love it so much. It’s this really warm, supportive story that teaches you to be who you are and be supported when you’re going through hard times,” Daddario continued. “In addition to just being wonderfully entertaining! I think it’s great that a whole new generation of kids will have the opportunity to see it on TV.”
Daddario’s support for Percy Jackson and the Olympians will come from the sidelines, as Riordan has made clear that no actors from the films will appear in the upcoming show.
“The whole point of me being involved in the TV show is to make sure this is a completely different production and a fresh start for Percy Jackson,” Riordan wrote in November. “That means an entirely new cast putting their own spin on the characters, and it’s important for the cast and crew that they have a clean slate to work from. Because of that, there will be no crossover casting between the movies and the new TV show. This must be and will be its own thing.”
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently in its final months of production.
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