The upcoming Disney Plus series adaptation Percy Jackson and the Olympians has some new gods in its roster by way of Lance Reddick (The Wire, John Wick) and Lost in Space star Toby Stephens. They're the latest names to join this highly-anticipated show's already remarkably stacked cast.
Reddick and Stephens will join The Adam Project star Walker Scobell, who's playing the lead role, and several other big names set to appear in Disney Plus' Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This includes stars like Megan Mullally, Adam Copeland, and even Lin-Manuel Miranda as the Greek god Hermes. It looks like he'll be in good company, as the two newcomers will occupy similarly celestial roles.
According to Variety, Reddick will play the almighty Zeus while Stephens takes up the trident to rule the seas as Poseidon. Both of these characters play prominent roles in the story, with Zeus driving much of the plot and Poseidon turning out to be Percy's father. In addition to Scobell as Percy, they'll all be joined by Disney Channel star Aryan Simhadri and Beast's Leah Sava Jeffries as fellow series leads Grover and Annabeth, respectively.
Based on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series of young adult books, Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows young demi-god Percy as he discovers and understands his godly powers inherited from his father. This could have been a nice chill story about finding one's true potential, but things are set in motion when Zeus accuses Percy of stealing his master's lightning bolt. This prompts Percy to join his friends Grover and Annabeth to look for the missing bolt and hopefully restore order on Olympus.
As incredible as this cast seems, not everybody has been thrilled about it. There have been racist attacks from internet trolls against Jeffries for existing as a Black woman. This prompted Alexandra Daddario, who played Annabeth in the Percy Jackson movies, to come out in support of Jeffries in the wake of that online racism. It's an unfortunate reality that every actor of color has to deal with, and even more unfortunate that so many people treat it like something that can't be helped and should just be brushed off rather than directly addressed.
Hopefully, the hateful voices are drowned out, and viewers get to enjoy Percy Jackson and the Olympians for what it is. There's much to love about Riordan's series of stories, and more people deserve to enjoy them.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is set to premiere on Disney Plus in 2024, with the first season consisting of 8 episodes.
Source: Variety