Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Is the Adaptation Fans Have Desperately Been Waiting For

2010 was a rough year for Percy Jackson fans. While the smash-hit middle-grade book series had concluded the year prior, a highly-anticipated film adaptation was on its way to hopefully fill the void about to be left by the Harry Potter franchise’s conclusion the following year. The movie was even directed by Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets’ Chris Columbus, something that gave die-hard Percy Jackson fans who grew up watching Harry Potter a lot to be excited about. After all, it’s not like the general population of tween movie-goers understands the thousands of contributing factors that feed into making a high-quality book-to-screen adaptation.

Needless to say, they were all let down. 20th Century Fox’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief solidly landed itself a silver medal on the “Most Hated Live-Action Adaptation of a Beloved Children’s Media Series” podium, second only to M. Night Shyamalan’s Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation. That year was the worst time to be a kid who loved the fantasy genre—plain and simple. Fans were not the only ones to despise the movie either; it’s well-known that Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan has been vocal about his disdain for the movie. Still, he made it clear that “should a reboot [of the franchise] happen someday, [he] would hope that it would be a great adaptation that is faithful to the books and fun to watch.” Five years later, we have gotten just that.

Disney+’s take on Percy Jackson and the Olympians gives the fans and the story the respect they have always deserved. From the casting to the writing to the production design, we get the adaptation of The Lightning Thief that we have been wanting for over a decade to see, and there is nowhere to go but up. This time around, Rick Riordan is at the helm of the project, and that has undoubtedly led to the series having a direct through-line to the soul of the books it is based on. In complete contrast to the abhorrent movie that disappointed the masses almost 14 years ago, this show is so clearly and undeniably Percy Jackson, and is leagues above the bastardization of the story we were stuck with for so long, even with the—arguably minor—changes that have been made.

It is truly the kids at the center of everything that makes the show. It turns out that not looking exactly like how a character is described in a book does not stop you from perfectly embodying who they are! Throughout the two-episode premiere, Walker Scobell does an incredible job bouncing between Percy’s snark and sass, and the deeply rooted loneliness and tired anger. Sure, the kid has a cool sword and cool powers and gets to exist in an amazing universe where mythological creatures are real, but that’s not the life he’s known before the start of the first episode. Until his life turns upside down and inside out, Percy is just a kid who has been bullied for almost his entire life and is so used to it that he’s almost indifferent to being messed with unless he’s pushed too far. Until he makes it to Camp Half-Blood, his only friend is Grover (Aryan Simhadri), and he faces even more harassment from their peers than Percy does. Scobell and Simhadri play off of each other so well whether the moment is comedic or tense, and with this reexamination of the source material comes a slightly new dynamic between the pair. To be clear, Percy and Grover are still best friends, but unlike in the books, Percy is not quick to forgive him for hiding the truth about who he is. In a worst-case scenario, this relatively small change could spell disaster for the team dynamic that is beginning to form, but it instead makes the progression of their relationship more realistic and convincing.

Of course, we can’t talk about the cast and leave Leah Sava Jeffries out. Like many other actresses before her, she faced a huge amount of backlash after being cast as Annabeth Chase simply because she is Black. The vitriol was bad enough that Rick Riordan hit back and defended her and her casting (something that does not happen often despite the regularity of racism that Black actors in similar situations face), and though she doesn’t make an appearance until the second episode of the premiere, it is more than clear that her casting should never have been questioned. Jeffries nails Annabeth’s trademark straightforwardness and quiet calculation, handing over a wonderful performance of a child who was forced to grow up too fast and is doing everything she can to take control of her destiny. Even better, Scobell, Jeffries, and Simhadri have incredible comedic synergy. When these kids are funny, they’re hilarious, and that only bolsters the beating heart of the show.

When it comes to the narrative content of the series, two things are important to keep in mind. First, this is a show for tweens adapted from a book for tweens. Many fans—myself included—read these books as they were being published 18 years ago (ouch) and as easily as we will be able to love this show, it is for the kids who are reading the series for the first time now, first and foremost. Second, the season will only have a total of eight episodes, and while that’s certainly longer than a 2-hour movie, it isn’t enough time to complete a play-by-play, exact retelling of the book. If you want this show to be a copy-paste job, you will be severely disappointed, but where’s the fun in that anyway? From what we have seen so far, the changes have only streamlined and enhanced the story, and both of those things are improvements that will hopefully lead to the renewal of a series that is bound to be loved by people of all ages.

What truly matters is that Percy Jackson and the Olympians doesn’t throw away the iconic set-pieces that are so important to us. The car chase with the Minotaur is still tragic and terrifying, Percy still gets to drench Clarisse in toilet water, and Riptide is still a sword disguised as a ballpoint pen. These are the characters we know and love going on a journey we have experienced over and over again, and if fate is in our favor, we’ll get to see this series through to the very end.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres December 20th on Disney+. 

Kathryn Porter is a freelance writer who will talk endlessly about anything entertainment given the chance. You can find her @kaechops on Twitter.

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