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The Percy Jackson Disney+ series is giving creator Rick Riordan the chance to try out story elements he decided against when he was writing the books 20 years ago
All of the changes that the Percy Jackson show on Disney+ makes from Rick Riordan's original books are run by the author first
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The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series on Disney+ has been embraced by both fans and critics alike. Aside from being a compelling fantasy series, the first season of the show is a faithful adaptation of Rick Riordan's first Percy Jackson book, The Lightning Thief. Season 2 of the show will be out this December 10 and will adapt the second book in Riordan's Percy Jackson series, The Sea of Monsters.
Speaking with journalists at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, co-showrunner Dan Shotz elaborated on the close relationship that the showrunners and producers have with Riordan while hammering out the story beats for each episode of the season. And while the Disney+ Percy Jackson series is a very close adaptation of the original books, there are some changes that the show has made from its source material. But they're changes that Riordan has ultimately been in support of.
"The benefit we have is, Rick [Riordan] is with us in the story [room]... He wrote the books two decades ago, and he gets the opportunity to look at these books again and see what was working for him and not," says Shotz. "With having him as that backstop, of like, 'Oh, we want to go in this direction,' and a lot of times he's like, 'Yeah, let's explore that.' And there's times where he's like, 'Oh, you know what, the fans love that moment, can we preserve that?'"
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a rare example of when a faithful book adaptation works brilliantly onscreen. Unlike House of the Dragon, which began to drag significantly in its second season, the Percy Jackson show has never felt bloated or bogged down by filler in its first season. With that in mind, there's much for fans to look forward to later this year when season 2 drops.
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About Comic-Con International: San Diego 2025
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