Rick Riordan on Twitter - "Pssst. Hey, demigods . . ."


Season 1: LIGHTNING THIEF

 

If this is indeed true, let's just hope it's a much better adaptation of the series than that last attempt. It also reminds me that I need to get back to reading the Percy Jackson series somewhere down the line.

 

Hell yeah! I’ve been dreaming about this. It’s my favorite childhood book series. They even managed to get Rick Riordan on board, and he wanted nothing to do with the movies, so that’s already a good sign. They could get a whole Marvel-like universe out of this if they play their cards right and just follow the damn books this time.

 

‘Percy Jackson’ Series Officially Happening at Disney+ – The Hollywood Reporter

Rick Riordan and Jon Steinberg are writing the pilot and executive producing for a series order!

 

he had been working on pitching it since Fox (who bought the rights before he even published the books (writers gotta eat)) was bought out by Disney.

 

Honestly, I was OK with the movies. They messed up some things, like turning Hades into a generic villain instead of using Ares, like in the books, and I wish Kronus was more than some giant monster. But compared to the books, the second movie did Tyson soooo much better. Book Tyson comes off as being... kinda thick in the head, and more of an embarassment for Percy. In the movie he is more three-dimensional character.
I am fully aware the books weren't written for my generation - I was made aware of them by my 15 years younger half-brother - but I listened to all of the series via audiobooks and thoroughly enjoyed them. Probably one of the few media that actually does most of the greek mythology right, other than Class of the Titans (now when will THAT show get a reboot?)
So, looking forward to this.

 

Persus Jackson has been cast
Meet Percy Jackson! | Rick Riordan

His life has been changed forever.

 

The Trio is Complete! | Rick Riordan
"Friends, the main trio is now complete for the perilous but exciting quest known as Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The TV series! I am delighted to introduce you to . . .

Grover Underwood

In his young life, Aryan Simhadri has already proven himself a veteran actor. He recently starred in Disney+’s film Cheaper by the Dozen and in the Disney Channel’s Spin. In his auditions for Grover Underwood, Aryan won our hearts. He had me laughing out loud with his delivery and timing. He has a mixture of sweetness, humor and internal toughness that is perfect for our favorite satyr. Grover has some big flying shoes to fill, but Aryan is exactly the right guy for the job. He and Walker already have a great dynamic together. And the visual magic we will be using to give Aryan his satyr’s goat legs is next-level stuff. Wait until you see!

Annabeth Chase

Out of all the talented actors we looked at for this role, Leah Sava Jeffries quickly became my number one choice for Annabeth. A native of Detroit, she is a brilliant actor who can break our hearts, make us laugh, and have us cheering for her all in the same scene. She was a series regular on the TV show Empire and also in the series Rel. She recently returned from South Africa, where she wrapped filming on Beast, a forthcoming feature film in which Leah plays the daughter of Idris Elba’s character. She will also star in the Amazon feature film Something from Tiffany’s, coming out this fall, with Zoey Deutch and Shay Mitchell, produced by Reese Witherspoon. Leah is exactly the way I imagined Annabeth in the books: smart, strong and courageous, a true daughter of Athena who has zero patience for the foolishness of a certain Seaweed Brain. Watching her act with Walker and Aryan, I saw Annabeth Chase come to life. As soon as you see her on the screen, you will know what I mean. The Wise Girl has arrived!



This week, our three brave heroes assembled for the first time at the studios in Vancouver, and I got to welcome them to the set. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but also a lot of fun. I cannot wait to get started! Please help me welcome Walker, Aryan and Leah to the Percy Jackson universe. I promise that they will do you proud!

-Rick Riordan"

 

Let's hope this stays closer to the books than the two movies did.

 

Hope the effects are good too on this.

 

The author has total control over the project as Executive Producer and Writer instead of being relegated to just a mention in the credits as "Based on the novel by" so here's hoping

 

Racists decided to mass report Leah's tiktok and had her permanently banned from there for nothing earlier this weekend. Riordan had the following to say today:

Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase


"This post is specifically for those who have a problem with the casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase. It’s a shame such posts need to be written, but they do. First, let me be clear I am speaking here only for myself. These thoughts are mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the opinions of any part of Disney, the TV show, the production team, or the Jeffries family.

"The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be. Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth’s strength. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be.

"If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. You have no one else to blame. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong. As strong as Leah is, as much as we have discussed the potential for this kind of reaction and the intense pressure this role will bring, the negative comments she has received online are out of line. They need to stop. Now.

"I was quite clear a year ago, when we announced our first open casting, that we would be following Disney’s company policy on nondiscrimination: We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to disability, gender, race and ethnicity, age, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other basis prohibited by law. We did that. The casting process was long, intense, massive and exhaustive.

"I have been clear, as the author, that I was looking for the best actors to inhabit and bring to life the personalities of these characters, and that physical appearance was secondary for me. We did that. We took a year to do this process thoroughly and find the best of the best. This trio is the best. Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase.

"Some of you have apparently felt offended or exasperated when your objections are called out online as racist. “But I am not racist,” you say. “It is not racist to want an actor who is accurate to the book’s description of the character!”

"Let’s examine that statement.

"You are upset/disappointed/frustrated/angry because a Black actor has been cast to play a character who was described as white in the books. “She doesn’t look the way I always imagined.”

"You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leah’s years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit. Without having seen her play the part, you have pre-judged her (pre + judge = prejudice) and decided she must have been hired simply to fill a quota or tick a diversity box. And by the way, these criticisms have come from across the political spectrum, right and left.

"You have decided that I couldn’t possibly mean what I have always said: That the true nature of the character lies in their personality. You feel I must have been coerced, brainwashed, bribed, threatened, whatever, or I as a white male author never would have chosen a Black actor for the part of this canonically white girl.

"You refuse to believe me, the guy who wrote the books and created these characters, when I say that these actors are perfect for the roles because of the talent they bring and the way they used their auditions to expand, improve and electrify the lines they were given. Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true.

"You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white.

Friends, that is racism.

"And before you resort to the old kneejerk reaction — “I am not racist!” — let’s examine that statement too.

"If I may quote from an excellent recent article in the Boston Globe about Dr. Khama Ennis, who created a program on implicit bias for the Massachusetts Board of Registration for Medicine in Boston: “To say a person doesn’t have bias is to say that person isn’t human. It’s how we navigate the world … based on what we’re taught and our own personal histories.”

"Racism/colorism isn’t something we have or don’t have. I have it. You have it. We all do. And not just white people like me. All people. It’s either something we recognize and try to work on, or it’s something we deny. Saying “I am not racist!” is simply declaring that you deny your own biases and refuse to work on them.

"The core message of Percy Jackson has always been that difference is strength. There is power in plurality. The things that distinguish us from one another are often our marks of individual greatness. You should never judge someone by how well they fit your preconceived notions. That neurodivergent kid who has failed out of six schools, for instance, may well be the son of Poseidon. Anyone can be a hero.

"If you don’t get that, if you’re still upset about the casting of this marvelous trio, then it doesn’t matter how many times you have read the books. You didn’t learn anything from them.

"Watch the show or don’t. That’s your call. But this will be an adaptation that I am proud of, and which fully honors the spirit of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, taking the bedtime story I told my son twenty years ago to make him feel better about being neurodivergent, and improving on it so that kids all over the world can continue to see themselves as heroes at Camp Half-Blood.
-Rick Riordan"

 

It blows my mind that any creator would ever be unsympathetic to this notion. As if their original writing the way they put it to page didn't matter and the people who took that writing to heart also don't matter.

Maybe because they're, garsp, not rooted in any sort of political ideology and people just want something accurate to what was described in the books they loved so much?

Like yeah some people were definitely shitheads on this, (namely the mass flaggers which is always cunty behaviour no matter the platform) but acting like every single person who dislikes the casting is racist/problematic? Isn't that pre + judging everyone based on their conclusion and not the reasons for it? The guy who posts racial slurs and trolls social media should not be put into the same camp as the young lad who's an honest to God fan and just wanted something accurate to the words he took to heart. I heard similar backlash to the casting of Percy himself due to the actor not resembling the character as he was described, where was Rick Riordan calling everyone racist back then?

Would it still be racist if it was a white actor being chosen to portray a character who was described as black in the book and people didn't like it?

Ah yes, the "kneejerk" reaction of denying being a horrible thing when someone calls you that horrible thing. I know that's just the lowest level of petulance a human can resort to.

Hahahahaha what?

"You're a racist, and if you claim to not be racist, you're extra racist."

What absolute buffoonery is this? "All people have bias ergo all people are racist in some way." Not every one has bias for every single minute subject ever, and that bias is not always rooted in what you claim it to be rooted in.

Ah yes, because we all know the importance of art is what the creator wants you to feel and think and not your own personal opinion or feelings about it. There's only one way to think and if you don't think that way you're wrong. (where have I heard that before?) Reading these books isn't about imagining the world as it's described and how it presents itself in your mind, it's a quiz and you'd better get all those answers right you friggin' racists.

Y'know, people mass flagging an actor's TikTok was a pretty demonstrably mean thing to do. There were clear perpetrators and the act was clearly if not nigh-universally looked down upon. How you turn that into "every single person who dislikes the casting is racist" is actually baffling.

 

On one hand, the fans were bitching when the same character had the wrong hair color in the film series. What did they think the reaction would be? On the other, the author is a sanctimonious twit, so what did the fans think the reaction would be?

 

I'm a man of few words, so I'll just say a thousand:

 

Wasn't even intending to watch it anyway. Look at the official art and cover art. Shit looks great. Even a simplified version of that would have made for a great looking animated series. With all the fantastical shit in this series, live action was never going to work. Plus they're going to be, like, 23 by the end of Heroes of Olympus. I wish they would have kept Annabeth as a subversion to the blonde valley girl stereotype (even remember a pretty funny scene with Leo in the sequel series) but this was doomed to be a rough adaptation in the first place. It is sad because with the original author involved this was the one opportunity to get it right but they had to make it live action and not have the characters' appearances high enough a priority.

That said, you should never bully a little girl. Especially over some suit's decision. Some people need to grow up.

 

Fans can really ruin a good thing with @$$holesih behavior.

 

He had expectations for how responses would be, I think the blogpost was a reactionary "My expectations were low but holy shit what the fuck." There's only so far that you can push a high school history teacher.

they were already complaining how Fox Studios wanted everyone aged up before they even cast them. then they learned how large of a deviation the studio went from the books. Riordan's only involvement in the films is appearing on the credits as "Based on the novel by Rick Riordan" and had no influence on the casting or script. in fact, he was given copies of the script and sent back several notes going over why he hated them (blog written before Disney+ was an option for serialized shows, there were only movies which is a different, pre-established contract), all of which were ignored like Kevin Feige's notes for Sony's Amazing Spider-Man 2. The second movie added back characters that were dropped from the first movie and made Alexandria Daddario bleach her hair to bring in more book readers, but still it was a trainwreck.

Riordan started writing the series so his son wouldn't see his ADHD as a negative thing. His main regret for the Gods of Olympus series is that the characters weren't diverse enough, which is why he did exactly that in the sequel series and the rest of his expanded universe. Chinese characters, African-American characters, Native-American characters, Canadian characters, gay characters, trans characters, so on and so forth.

A thousand? I'm not even reading 150:
"Ghost In the Shell is a movie that has a Japanese girl who was accidentally killed by the government which has her brain moved into a robot body played by Scarlett Johansson in an attempt to cover up the government's brutality. While the director of the original anime series, Mamoru Oshii, was fine with the news of her casting for the merit of Scarlett's acting, after the cast was announced the studio commissioned tests during to see if it was possible to make their Caucasian actors and actresses appear East Asian through VFX rather than find actors of Asian descent. GitS is a situation of casting a person they attempted to make look a different ethnicity, backed off of that plan after the backlash, and then at the end of the film revealed that their Caucasian actress was actually playing an Asian person the entire time."

Here's my reply:
PJGoO is entirely a different situation. From the start of pitching this Disney+ adaptation in early 2020 after seeing the success of the Mandalorian, Riordan had been saying that his casting of everyone would not limit to ethnicity, politics, or orientation. His only criteria was their ability to perform, that's it. A better situation that you could have used was when Marvel Studios approached the Norse pantheon in their Thor films. Idris Elba's Heimdall is one of the best parts of the Infinity Saga, but have you seen the amount of shit people spewed twelve years ago? If Disney made Leah wear whiteface to appease those who want book-accuracy, then you can use GitS as a comparison.

By the way, I'm Asian. Don't try using Hollywood's Ghost in the Shell as a Gotcha moment on someone who has been through this shit multiple times.

There's at least four different cover arts for The Lightning Thief from the past 17 years, and that's not counting the official character arts on Riordan's site.

The original author is in charge of everything, this was his decision to make it a live action show.

Daniel Radcliffe was 22 when he played a 17 year old in Deathly Hallows, it might work if they even get to that point? Problem is HoO takes place in one year after GoO's four, and obviously production schedules are lengthy.

Again, the cast is not an ambiguous suit's decision, it's Riordan's final say. Annabeth's appearance being important has only come up for only one scene in the books where she plays up being a ditzy blonde as she was committing false surrender in order to confuse the enemy. There's other ways for them to figure out how to adapt a scene from the eighth book. Besides, blonde = dumb is a dated idea isn't it?

I'm not even sure if these assholes even are fans who read the book, just idiots jumping on the hate bandwagon. I've seen it with Vic Mignogna's fans going nuts after he got fired for sexual harassment going after studios that had him for only one season.

 

The original author being part of it doesn't automatically mean he knows what medium is best and the multiple cover arts thing isn't exactly a "gotcha." Said look at the covers and official art, which in the case of the first editions (or at least I think they're the firsts) line up really well. And there's nothing about the words of someone who primarily writes books that diminishes that live action is inherently stiffer than animation and makes the fantastical harder to pull off. We're talking about Disney here who barely has good visuals in its biggest cash cow but you're arguing that just because Rick said so this isn't going to turn out as bad or probably worse than an MCU project in cheese, bland visuals and stiffness.

It makes sense that Rick would cast on acting merit alone. You might not exactly see the people you're writing in you're head while you're writing them (I personally do visualize to some extent) and undoubtedly she will bring to life the Annabeth that Rick imagined in his head and embody her personality very well. Problem here is that readers have been having the physical description of Annabeth drilled into them since 2005 and there is no doubt in my mind that the way I, for example, read Annabeth will be different from Rick's and different from yours too, even if there are general personality traits and the like that we can all agree on. Our individual experiences and personalities color how we read books. No matter what there's going to be the feeling that something about the way Annabeth said something is wrong no matter what she looks like but there's going to be a disconnect because there's nothing really grounding the adaptation in something that could be universally agreed on by the author and individual readers. That hurts this series's role as an adaptation.

Annabeth's appearance is repeatedly hammered into reader's heads across all the books and we even see more of her background being tied into it with her openly stating she thought she wasn't taken seriously as often because she was blonde. Call the stereotype dated all you want but it hasn't gone away and you still don't see many blondes filling the "scary, courageous and smart" role. Alexandria Daddario was pretty consistently criticized for not looking like Annabeth (although there were definite problems with her performance too) so it isn't just limited to this girl. The bullying does seem to be, which I will reiterate that am not cool with.

It does feel weird saying stuff like this because I know there are absolute bastards, but it's really obtuse to not understand why people would have a problem with how this adaptation is going about things outside of the clowns. Of course you're going to catch flak for drastically altering the appearance of a main character even from less racist people, especially with how long the fandom has been going on and been waiting to see the books they love come to life after already having a studio take a fat dump on it before.

p.s. Rick refusing to make their Percy look more like his book self even when the kid is pretty good and could easily look more like Percy is just fucking dumb. All the things about the disconnect apply there too. Seems like he's just sniffing his own farts.