Lance Reddick has been cast as Zeus in the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians series coming to the Disney Plus streaming service.
Toby Stephens is also playing Poseidon, with Walker Scobell as the titular character.
Sean Bean played Zeus in the movies starring Logan Lerman.
Lance Reddick recently starred in the one-and-done Resident Evil series on Netflix where he acknowledged haters and trolls for the series’ cancellation.
We heard your calls all the way from Olympus. Welcome to #PercyJackson and the Olympians.
— Percy Jackson (@PercySeries) January 26, 2023
⚡️ Lance Reddick as Zeus
⚡️ Toby Stephens as Poseidon pic.twitter.com/r9LtW37znI
Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan also responded to fans’ complaints surrounding the woke casting of Annabeth Chase who is also replaced by a black actor.
“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,” Riordan posted on his blog. “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.”
What is Percy Jackson and the Olympians about?
The Disney Plus series is described as: Geared towards a general audience and especially tweens, teens, and young adults, the live action series tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.
Also starring in the series includes Aryan Simhadri (Disney’s “Spin”) and Leah Sava Jeffries (“Empire”) playing Percy’s friends Grover and Annabeth, respectively.
Based on Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series by award-winning author Rick Riordan, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.
Aryan Simhadri stars as Grover Underwood – a satyr, half boy and half goat, disguised as a 12 year old boy. Grover cares deeply about others and will always choose what is best for them, sometimes at his own expense. Though cautious by nature, he’ll always throw himself into a fight to protect his friends, especially his best friend Percy Jackson.
Leah Sava Jeffries stars as Annabeth Chase. As a true daughter of the Greek goddess Athena, Annabeth is a brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind. After having spent the last five years at Camp Half-Blood, she longs to test her mettle in the human world, of which she barely remembers. She trains Percy to survive the mythological world, and in turn, he helps her connect with her humanity.
Riordan and Jon Steinberg will serve as writers of the pilot, and James Bobin will direct. Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner Dan Shotz. Steinberg and Shotz serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson and The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg.
Watch the Percy Jackson and the Olympians trailer:
