After 20th Century Studios’ dismal stab at the Percy Jackson series in 2010, Disney+ series co-showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and and Dan Shotz knew they one job: don’t fuck it up. Based on the latest trailer for Percy Jackson And The Olympians (and everything else we’ve seen), it seems they’ve completed their quest with flying colors.
The primary word that comes to mind while watching clips of the new series is “accurate.” That’s not a bad thing. While it seems like this series won’t be subverting any expectations (we’re pretty burned out on fantasy book-to-screen adaptations doing that anyway), it does look like an absolute treat for either long-time fans of the series who’ve waited years to see their favorite gods and demigods live on screen, or newcomers interested to see if Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hermes costume really is just a tan hoodie. (Spoiler alert: yup.)
Almost every clip from this trailer can be directly traced to a specific scene in the original Rick Riordan-penned novel. Among those are the minotaur chase, Medusa and her statue garden, the Waterland theme park, Percy’s initial stab (ha) at using a sword and other Ancient weaponry, the river under the St. Louis arch, capture the flag, and the Lotus Casino, the only scene from the original films that might hold a candle to this one. (You just can’t beat that Lady Gaga needle drop.)
This trailer also finally introduces us to the gods of Olympus, among which are a bunch of familiar faces. Other than Miranda, the series features Lance Reddick as Zeus (in one of his final roles), Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus, Megan Mullally as Alecto/Mrs. Dodds, Adam Copeland as Ares, Jay Duplass as Hades, Glynn Turman as Chiron, Toby Stephens as Poseidon, and Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus. This cadre of star power is joined by newcomers Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri in the three leading roles.
Percy Jackson And The Olympians launches with a two-episode premiere on December 20 on Disney+.