Logan Lerman was the first actor to bring Percy Jackson to life on screen with his role in Fox’s short-lived film franchise, which kicked off in 2010 with “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” and continued in 2013 with “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.” Now rising star Walker Scobell is taking over the role in Disney+’s television series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Lerman recently surprised Scobell and the rest of the new cast by sending over his blessing during a live recording of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
“The show looks amazing,” Lerman told the cast in a note. “I can’t wait to see you all crush it in your roles. You’re making a lot of people happy bringing these characters to life. I can’t imagine a better fit for Percy Jackson than Walker. You were so brilliant in ‘The Adam Project.’ I hope you like eating blue food the next few years. I think you have a hit show on your hands.”
Scobell reacted to Lerman’s surprise by saying it “definitely does [feel good] a little bit” to know the former Percy Jackson actor is wishing him well.
“I have DM’d him before,” Scobell added. “I watched one of his movies, ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower.’ I really liked it. I thought it was so good I DM’d him.”
While Lerman’s “Percy Jackson” movies were moderate box office hits, they were plagued by behind-the-scenes drama in which franchise author Rick Riordan felt disrespected by Fox’s treatment of his books. Sources previously told PvNew that Fox’s budgets for the film were a point of contention as they were never high enough to properly bring Riordan’s vision to life.
“After the movie experience, I basically wrote off Hollywood for a long, long time,” Riordan told PvNew. “I really didn’t want to have anything to do with the film industry. There were many years of me saying, ‘I don’t want to engage. I don’t want to think about other adaptations. I’m done.’ But when it started to become clear that something was going to happen with me or without me [for the Disney+ series], I had a long talk with Becky, my wife. We said, ‘Well, if something’s going to happen, it’s probably best to give it one more shot.’”
Lerman might be right about the new “Percy Jackson” cast having a huge hit on their hands, as the show has been receiving rave reviews. PvNew critic Aramide Tinubu hailed the new show as a “riveting and stunning adaptation” of the books, adding: “Unlike the ‘Percy’ films, which aged the characters up, launching the show with younger actors spotlights a unique period while establishing a solid framework that will allow the story to expand as the leading trio ages.”
The “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” premiere will stream Dec. 20 on both Disney+ and Hulu. All remaining episodes will stream exclusively on Disney+. Watch the cast discuss the series on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in the video below.
