‘Just didn’t resonate’: Percy Jackson creators express ‘disappointment’ over unpopular movie adaptations

Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan has revealed Disney’s TV adaptation of his fantasy book series gave him “an opportunity” to redeem the franchise after its poorly received film conversions.

2010’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and 2013’s Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters failed to capture audiences’ imagination – and convince them to part with their hard-earned cash – at a time when teen fantasy was all the rage. Indeed, despite other hit book series – namely, Harry Potter and Twilight – becoming cinematic hits, the Percy Jackson duology failed to catch lightning in a bottle, with its film adaptations earning 49% and 42% critical scores respectively.

When Disney came calling to inquire about Riordan and his wife/executive producing partner Rebecca Riordan’s interest in turning their much-loved novels into a Disney Plus show, then, the duo sensed an opening to do Percy Jackson justice and create a fitting on-screen adaptation. The result is Percy Jackson and the Olympians, an eight-part series (its first episode will also be available on Hulu) that’ll finally justify the books in the eyes of many, Riordan claims.

Speaking to TechRadar at the show’s UK junket, Riordan said: “The major change [from the films] is that we were involved this time – we were allowed to be involved – which makes all the difference. Becky and I went out to LA, and we started making conversations happen and telling people ‘look, you can do a new adaptation’. After many months of that, we were able to shake loose the film rights and get them over to Disney so we could make a series. We were very clear that it needed to be television because television gives you a broader canvas.”