‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Cast and Character Guide

In 2005, author Rick Riordan released the first entry in a new fantasy-adventure book series inspired by Greek mythology. That first book was called The Lightning Thief, and after hitting bookstore shelves around the world, it quickly became a smashing success, beginning the Percy Jackson & the Olympians franchise. The series revolves around the titular Percy Jackson, a twelve-year-old boy who discovers that he’s secretly a demigod. Percy’s father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, a stunning revelation that changes his life forever as he embarks on a journey to embrace his identity and become a hero.

The book series has been adapted before, with its first two novels, The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters, receiving film adaptations in 2010 and 2013, respectively. However, they both got mixed reviews from audiences, critics, and fans of the source material (not to mention Riordan himself), resulting in the film series being cut short. Fortunately, the books now have a shot at earning on-screen redemption as they’re being adapted again, this time as a TV show!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians will begin streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. With the series’ first season adapting The Lightning Thief, we’re about to meet a large mix of heroes and villains taken straight from the pages of Riordan’s beloved novel. So, before jumping into this insane world of Greek gods and monsters, why not familiarize yourself with everyone first? Keep reading below for our handy cast and character guide for the series!

Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson

As mentioned above, Percy’s life gets turned upside down when he learns about his godly heritage. Being the son of Poseidon, he becomes a target for monsters, and so, his mother realizes that living in New York is no longer safe for him. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a protected community for Greek demigods to learn about their history and train to defend themselves against monsters. As if this drastic change wasn’t enough to deal with, Percy also gets accused of stealing Zeus’s thunderbolt, sending him on a dangerous quest across the country to retrieve it.

This will be Walker Scobell’s first time starring in a TV series but the young actor has already made a mark on audiences with his roles on the big screen. In 2022, Scobell appeared in films such as The Adam Project and Secret Headquarters, the former being his first-ever on-screen role, appearing alongside Ryan Reynolds.

Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase

Annabeth is a daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Prior to Percy’s arrival at Camp Half-Blood, she had already been living and training there for five years. Being a skilled fighter, she accompanies Percy on his quest to find Zeus’s missing thunderbolt. Annabeth plays a crucial role in helping introduce Percy to his new responsibilities as a demigod, discovering his hidden abilities as the son of Poseidon, and navigating a dangerous world full of monsters.

Leah Sava Jefferies has recently appeared in films such as Beast and Something from Tiffany’s. She has also starred in TV shows such as Empire and Rel.

Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood

Grover is Percy’s best friend, who is a satyr, a half-human half-goat nature spirit. He was originally assigned to watch over Percy while living in New York. As a satyr, Grover is deeply passionate about nature. He can also sense the emotions of demigods and monsters, making him an essential companion for Percy’s quest to find Zeus’s thunderbolt. Grover takes advantage of this journey to try searching for Pan, the lost god of the satyrs, the wild, and folk music.

Aryan Simhadri has starred in films such as The Main Event and the 2022 remake of Cheaper by the Dozen. He has also done voice work for animated shows like Mira, Royal Detective and Adventure Time: Distant Lands.

Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan

Luke is a son of Hermes, the god of travelers and thieves. He first arrived at Camp Half-Blood with a very young Annabeth, having protected her from monsters during their unexpected journey together. The two now share a very strong sibling-like bond. At nineteen years old, Luke is also one of the older demigods at Camp Half-Blood and so, he is the head counselor of the Hermes cabin.

Charlie Bushnell previously portrayed Bobby Cañero-Reed, one of the lead characters in the Disney+ TV series Diary of a Future President.

Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue

Clarisse is a daughter of Ares, the god of war. Sharing traits with her father, she is an incredibly skilled fighter and battle strategist, while also being short-tempered and aggressive towards other demigods. She has a strong sense of honor, respecting those that can prove themselves as allies, and eventually maybe even friends, when dire situations arise.

Dior Goodjohn has recently started on TV shows such as Head of the Class and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a revival of the original 1990s Nickelodeon anthology series.

Glynn Turman as Chiron / Mr. Brunner

Chiron is a centaur who serves as the activities director at Camp Half-Blood. In Olympus, he is known as an expert teacher who has helped train mythical heroes like Hercules. Percy first met Chiron at school in New York, being disguised as his Latin teacher, “Mr. Brunner”, prior to learning about his godly roots. Alongside Annabeth and Grover, Chiron is always looking out for Percy and helps train him before his quest.

Glynn Turman has had an extensive acting career across both film and TV. Most recently, he has appeared in films such as The Way Back, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Rustin. He has also starred in popular TV shows like The Wire, House of Lies, and Fargo.

Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus/Mr. D

Dionysus (though campers call him Mr. D) is the god of wine, parties, and madness. What a mix! As punishment from Zeus, Mr. D became the director of Camp Half-Blood. He comes across as very cynical and lazy in this position, often going out of his way to annoy campers for fun. Deep down though, he cares for them all and actually enjoys his job, even if he refuses to show it.

Jason Mantzoukas is no stranger to TV. He is perhaps best known as Adrian Pimento on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, having also appeared in shows such as The Good Place and The League. He has recently lent his voice to Big Mouth, Invincible, and Star Trek: Prodigy as well.

Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson

Sally is Percy’s loving mother who works in a candy shop. She understands the great dangers that all demigods face and keeps Percy in the dark about his father’s identity, hoping to shield him from these dangers. However, once monsters start coming after him, Sally realizes that she can no longer keep him safe in New York and takes him to Camp Half-Blood.

Virginia Kull has starred in numerous TV shows over the last decade, including Big Little Lies, Sneaky Pete, The Looming Tower, and most recently, NOS4A2.

Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano

Gabe is Percy’s stepfather. Being lazy, selfish, and physically abusive, Sally only married Gabe because of one reason: his disgustingly strong “odor”. To monsters, all humans have a distinct smell, especially demigods. By marrying Gabe, Sally hoped she could protect Percy by masking his scent with that of her awful husband.

Timm Sharp has appeared in TV shows including Enlightened, Blunt Talk, and Based on a True Story. He also starred in films such as Good Posture and Together Together.

Toby Stephens as Poseidon

Poseidon is the god of the sea, storms, and horses. He is also considered one of the “big three” gods, alongside his brothers Zeus and Hades. After receiving news from an oracle that one of their children could lead to the downfall of Mount Olympus, Poseidon made an oath with his brothers to not have any more relationships with mortals. However, he breaks it after falling in love with Sally Jackson, leading to conflict years later when Zeus suspects that Poseidon used Percy to steal his thunderbolt.

Toby Stephens is perhaps best known for his TV roles as Captain Flint in Black Sails and John Robinson in the 2018 reboot of Lost in Space. He also portrayed a James Bond villain, Gustav Graves, in 2002’s Die Another Day.

Lance Reddick as Zeus

Zeus is the god of the sky, thunder, and lightning. He is considered the most powerful god on Mount Olympus, being the heir of the Titan King, Kronos, who reigned before the current generation. Despite his level of authority, Zeus can still be very paranoid about other gods’ actions, particularly those of his brothers. This is a key reason why Zeus suspects Poseidon of stealing his thunderbolt, knowing that he broke their oath by having Percy.

Zeus will tragically be the final live-action TV role for the late Lance Reddick. He starred in many popular series, such as The Wire, Bosch, and Fringe. In film, he portrayed Charon in the John Wick franchise. He also did motion capture performances for videogame series like Destiny and Horizon Zero Dawn.

Jay Duplass as Hades

Hades is the king of the underworld, as well as the god of the dead and riches. He remains distant from his brothers and the other gods on Mount Olympus, choosing to remain focused on his work of torturing souls in solitude. While Hades is sadistic and harsh with his punishments, he (mostly) abides by a strict moral code that those punishments are intended for wrongdoers only.

Jay Duplass starred as Josh Pfefferman in the TV series Transparent, in addition to having recurring roles in shows like The Mindy Project and Search Party, and Industry. He has recently starred in the Netflix film Pain Hustlers.

Megan Mullally as Alecto / Ms. Dodds

Alecto is one of three Furies, vengeful spirits that follow orders from Hades to torture people in the underworld. Like Chiron, Alecto disguises herself as one of Percy’s teachers at school, posing as his pre-algebra teacher “Ms. Dodds”. After she tries to kill Percy, this traumatic incident leads to him discovering his demigod status and prompts Sally to bring him to Camp Half-Blood.

Megan Mullally portrayed Karen Walker on the long-running sitcom series Will and Grace. She has also appeared in shows like Parks and Recreation, Party Down, and 30 Rock. She currently voices Alyson Lefebvrere in The Great North.

Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes

Hermes is one of Zeus’s sons. As mentioned prior, he is also the god of travelers and thieves, as well as Luke’s father. He serves as the gods’ messenger on Mount Olympus. When Percy begins his quest to find Zeus’s missing thunderbolt with Annabeth and Grover, Hermes assists them by supplying magical items to help them on their journey.

Lin-Manuel Miranda first rose to prominence on Broadway, being the playwright and composer of hit musicals such as In the Heights and Hamilton. He later brought his talents to animated films like Moana and Encanto. He recently played Lee Scoresby in the TV adaptation of His Dark Materials.

Adam Copeland as Ares

Ares is another son of Zeus. As mentioned prior, he is also the god of war and Clarisse’s father. Given his godly title, it’s fair to say that Ares loves violence and destruction, both personality traits that have made him an outcast of sorts on Mount Olympus. He often makes reckless decisions and likes to literally “play god” in mortal conflicts. Despite his combatant demeanor, he does have a complicated sense of affection for his children.

Adam Copeland is better known as Edge, his ring name in the WWE, and more recently, the AEW. He has previously had recurring roles on TV shows such as Haven and Vikings.

Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus

Hephaestus is the god of forges, fire, and blacksmiths, with the latter being his job on Mount Olympus. An expert craftsman, he spends most of his time tinkering away on new inventions in his workshop. Hephaestus has a bitter outlook on the world and tends to place his faith in machines over people, though he makes exceptions for his children.

Timothy Omundson has portrayed TV show characters such as Sean Potter in Judging Amy and Carlton Lassiter in Psych. He has also had recurring roles in series like Xena: Warrior Princess, Supernatural, and This Is Us.

Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa

Medusa is a Gorgon, a human-like creature with snakes for hair. She can turn people to stone if they stare into her eyes. Medusa runs a large store filled with garden gnomes and ornaments, being an ideal place to hide the unlucky people she turned to stone, passing them off as “statues”. Jessica Parker Kennedy is perhaps best known for her TV roles as Nora West-Allen in The Flash and Max in Black Sails. She also recently had two guest appearances on the sketch comedy series, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.

Apart from these actors, the guest cast members set to appear in Percy Jackson and the Olympians include Olivea Morton as Nancy Bobofit, Suzanne Cryer as Echidna, mother of monsters, and Jason Gray-Stanford in an undisclosed role.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres on Disney+ on December 20, 2023, with the first two episodes. After the premiere, one new episode of the series will be released weekly on Wednesdays until the finale on January 31, 2024. You can watch the series on Disney+ with the following link:

Watch on Disney+