Disney+ has announced that Walker Scobell will play the titular character in the upcoming Percy Jackson series.

Fresh off of his success as Young Adam in The Adam Project opposite Ryan Reynolds, Scobell will be leading a cast of characters in adapting Rick Riordan’s beloved series of junior novels. The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has already been adapted to two movies, a video game, and even a musical. A third film based on the book series was planned but never reached the production stage. 

Said Riordan of the casting announcement, “Walker Scobell is an incredibly talented young man who blew us away with his audition tapes for the role of Percy. IIt was obvious to me and the rest of the team that Walker had the perfect mix of comedic timing, sweetness, rebelliousness, snark and heroism to embody our hero Percy Jackson.”

Riordan wrote the Percy Jackson series set in the United States but incorporating many components of Greek mythology. The series follows a pre-teen demi-god Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. The titular character has both ADHD and dyslexia, and goes on his own journey to come to terms with his supernatural abilities. He’s impulsive, yet loyal to a fault. He only wants to do right by those he loves and find a sense of belonging.

While the first film based on the books, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, achieved commercial success, it received mixed reviews from critics. The second film based on the series, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters received generally poor reviews, with the consensus being that the film struggled to balance both the characters and the stories.

We don’t know much about the upcoming TV series. On January 25, 2022, it was announced that Disney+ had officially ordered the TV series. The pilot will be written by Riordan himself along with TV producer Jonathan E. Steinberg. Steinberg will also serve as showrunner for the series, along with Dan Shotz. 

What are your thoughts on this Percy Jackson casting news? What are you most looking forward to in the series? Leave a comment below!