Percy Jackson: Disney+ Adaptation Casts Poseidon and Zeus

It has been a long three years of development for Percy Jackson and the Olympians at Disney+. Author Rick Riordan announced that his best-selling book series would be receiving a serialized adaptation on the house of mouse’s streaming service back in May 2020. The next two years would be dedicated to various stages of pre-production. Momentum really picked up once The Adam Project‘s Walker Scobell was cast in the titular role in April 2022, and young stars like Leah Jeffries (Beast) and Aryan Simhadri (Cheaper By The Dozen) joined him shortly after. It wouldn’t be until filming commenced that the latter half of the show’s title, the Olympians, would begin to be cast.

Stars from across the entertainment industry like WWE’s Adam “Edge” Copeland and Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda were announced as Ares and Hermes, respectively, while other Greek gods like Hades and Hephaestus joining shortly after. While some of the 12 Olympians are being saved for potential future seasons, two of the biggest are set to debut in the first batch of episodes.

Toby Stephens has been cast as Poseidon, the god of the sea and Percy’s father. As evident by his connection to the main character, Poseidon plays a crucial role throughout the Percy Jackson books, appearing in four of the five novels. His scenes are limited, as he only shows face in one chapter of The Lightning Thief, but his presence is prevalent throughout the series.

“When we finally meet Poseidon toward the end of season one (just as we do in the book), Toby is incredible on screen,” Riordan wrote. “When he delivered some of Poseidon’s iconic lines, I got chills. And seeing him and Walker together, you can absolutely believe they are father and son.”

Sitting atop Olympus is Lance Reddick, who has been cast as Zeus, the god of the skies. Zeus is the most powerful of the Olympians and is a central figure of a number of the books’ narratives. Within The Lightning Thief specifically, Zeus’s stolen master bolt is the catalyst for the conflict.

“In all his roles, Lance projects an aura of authority and power that makes him perfect for the king of Olympus,” Riordan wrote. “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.”

Barring any additional original scenes, Poseidon and Zeus will likely only appear in one episode of Percy Jackson Season 1. The two only pop up in Chapter 21 of The Lightning Thief, both operating with minimal but important dialogue. The final third of the “Big 3,” Hades, has a more pronounced role in Season 1’s source material. Jay Duplass (Transparent) is tasked with bringing the god of the dead to life in the show.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is expected to wrap production soon.