Rick and Becky Riordan Talk Updating and Expanding The World Of Percy Jackson In New Series
The first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series was released in 2005 and became a beacon of representation, adventure, and found family for so many. Now 18 years later, the books are headed to Disney+ in a much anticipated series adaptation. Unlike the films of 2010 and 2013, author Rick Riordan and his wife Becky Riordan are working closely to make sure this adaptation is faithful to the beloved books, with Riordan even serving as screenwriter. Kristen Maldonado of Pop Culture Planet got a chance to speak with the duo about bringing this story to life for a new audience, celebrating our differences, and adding new elements to this world.
When it comes to balancing the world Rick Riordan created in the books with the television show, he was excited to update this universe. “A big part of the challenge obviously is making the readers happy and showing them that it's a faithful adaptation but also making it a product that's going to work for viewers who've never read the books. How? A lot of trial and error, a lot of great advice from our team, a lot of collaboration,” he told me. “It has to stand on its own. It’s also an opportunity to do things that maybe we didn’t get to do in the book to make it more three dimensional and see things from other points of view when you’re doing a TV series and update it. 2005 was a long time ago. It needs a little refresh.”
While there has been some criticism about casting choices, it really aligns with the goal the Riordans have to represent for all kids. “The Lightning Thief, even in 2005, started being about representation because it was for our son who was struggling with ADHD and dyslexia. It was our way of showing him as a kid with learning differences that he's not alone. He's seen, he's valued, he's loved, and he's going to be just fine in the world. I think every kid wants that,” he shared. “So when we learned that this book was doing so well and that we had this big platform, it was really critical to both of us that we try to extend that mission so that all kids who were enjoying the books felt like absolutely you belong at Camp Half-Blood too.”
Becky Riordan chimed in: “It’s all about belonging. It’s about found family. Differences are your superpower.”
While they wanted to stay faithful to the books, a TV series also allowed them to explore characters on a deeper level. “There's quite a few things actually,” Rick Riordan revealed when asked about what changes may surprise fans. “I think the backstory that you get. There's these little beautiful moments of backstory from say Grover's (Aryan Simhadri) point of view. Becky actually pitched this idea that Grover meets a Naiad, a mother figure, at camp. We see him getting some nurturing which you don’t get to see in the books. There’s another scene that I think also was [Becky’s] pitch. We see Sally (Virginia Kull) and Poseidon (Toby Stephens) together and what that’s like. See? She’s really good. She brings that emotional depth that sometimes I skim over.”
Having the parents be an active part of the story was crucial to them. “It was really important to talk about parenting. A lot of these shows, a lot of adventures with children have the parent missing and there's a reason for that. If the parent is missing the child has an opportunity to go and adventure on their own where they wouldn't if the parent was present,” Becky Riordan said. “But it was important for us to bring that sort of that grounding and that touchstone of having parental figures in the show and have their relationship be on stage.”
With this new adaptation, there is also the potential to expand into more of the RIck Riordan-verse with book series like The Heroes of Olympus, Magus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and The Trials of Apollo, as all of these connect back to the world of Percy Jackson. But will we see that come to life on screen? “I think it really depends on how Percy does — if it connects with viewers, if it resonates — and certainly we hope it will. We think it will. Then we’ll look at next steps,” shared Rick Riordan. “But Disney would like that, you know. That’s my sense. That they would. But, I mean, you have to start building a house with a good foundation and Percy Jackson is the foundation.”
The first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians hits Disney+ on December 20.
