Welcome to Camp Half-Blood: Disney Plus' Percy Jackson series casts Walker Scobell in lead role
The Adam Project actor is set to star as the titular hero from the YA Greek mythology-inspired book series
Wake up, demigods! Disney+ has found its lead protagonist for the Percy Jackson And The Olympians series in The Adam Project’s Walker Scobell, reports Variety.
The series is set to follow 12-year-old Percy Jackson (Scobell), a modern demigod who, after finding out his Greek deity parentage, must go on an adventure to find the sky god Zeus’ master lighting bolt after being accused of stealing the prized possession. In the form of the classic hero’s journey, Jackson travels across the United States with a few allies as they try to restore balance to Olympus.
In a post on his website, Percy Jackson And The Olympians author Rick Riordan revealed the casting news and explained how Scobell fit the bill of the snarky hero. “It 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,” said Riordan.
Future casting news for the rest of the Camp Half-Blood crew doesn’t seem far off, as Riordan revealed that the two other lead roles of Annabeth Chase (a daughter of Greek goddess Athena) and Grover Underwood (a satyr) are “getting very close to being finalized and announced.”
This series will be a fresh start for fans of the beloved book series. While other YA fantasy series like Harry Potter have had great movie adaptions, Percy Jackson has, uh, not. While the many changes and odd choices in the 2010 Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief weren’t so bad as to prevent a sequel from being made, fans have voiced disappointment in the film versions. Even Riordan believed the entire movie should’ve been censored to “two hours of blank screen.”
The series pilot will be written by Riordan and Jon Steinberg, with James Bobin (The Muppets) directing. Steinberg and his producing partner Dan Shotz (Black Sails) will oversee the series and also serve as executive producers. Production for the series will begin this summer in Vancouver with 20th Television.