Percy Jackson Cast A Major God For Season 3 (And It’s An Actor Nobody Expected)

Percy Jackson fans have a lot to be excited about these days, as not only is Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 on the way to Disney+ later this year, but season 3 is already in production. Today, even more welcome news arrives thanks to the official casting of a major God from the series. The character being cast is huge news unto itself, but now that we know who will be bringing the character to life in the show, the hype for the season just went up tenfold, and it’s a choice no one was expecting.

Today Variety revealed that the brilliantly funny Kate McKinnon (SNL, Barbie, Yesterday) has been cast as a recurring character in Percy Jackson season 3, and she will be playing the role of the Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. The official description for the character teases what fans can expect from her interactions with Percy throughout the season, and it seems the show is pulling quite a bit from the original books as well.

Kate McKinnon Brings the God of Love and Beauty to Percy Jackson Season 3

The official character description teases two key elements that we’ll likely see throughout season 3, including the fact that Aphrodite has the ability to alter her appearance depending on the beholder. In the books, Aphrodite’s appearance consistently changes depending on who she is talking to, as their idea of beauty affects who Aphrodite presents herself as.

The character description also teases some of the hoops Percy will have to jump through in order to gain Aphrodite’s help throughout the season. The description says that she “must be sure that Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) respects the power and importance of love before she agrees to offer aid on his quest.”

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McKinnon is an inspired choice to play this role, and while she’s most known for her comedic skills, McKinnon has shown that she can utilize those comedic chops in a variety of different ways and approaches. In the novels, Aphrodite is not really a quippy character, but McKinnon can still bring her own comedic sensibilities and sense of timing to the role and make it her own without going purely for comedy, and she could easily be one of the scene stealers in the show’s third season.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is based on the original Rick Riordan novels, and there are seven books in the main storyline. Season 1 of the show was based on the original book The Lightning Thief, and season 2 is expected to adapt the second book, titled The Sea of Monsters. Percy Jackson season 3 is expected to adapt book 3 The Titans Curse, which features Percy and the crew attempting to track down the kidnapped goddess Artemis on another epic quest.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 is scheduled to debut on Disney+ on December 10th.