Producers Jonathan Steinberg and Dan Shotz discovered early on βPercy Jacksonβ wasnβt just any franchise.
In addition to a series of books, it spawned several films and a Broadway musical.
To adapt it for television, they needed a higher sense of awareness.
βWe spoke to some people who had done this before and I think there was a part of me that hoped there was a secret answer,β Steinberg says. βBut it became clear quickly that there was not. You really donβt know what youβre going to get until youβre in front of a camera shooting scenes.β
Collaboration works
To get the script right, the two worked with author Rick Riordan and his wife, Rebecca, during the pandemic.
βIt was really just the four of us locked together to build this story,β Steinberg explains. βThis is their baby and itβs such a personal story that it made a difference that we had that time together, building this as a team.β
The key was watching the Riordans as they tossed out ideas. βWhen youβre hitting a note that isnβt quite right, you pull it out and try to be respectful of this thing that they have given so much of themselves to," Steinberg says.
The story β about a boy traveling across America to return Zeusβ master bolt β has elements of βHarry Potter,β βThe Hunger Gamesβ and young adult-friendly properties that have been massive hits. Joining forces with two friends, Percy encounters plenty of demigods and monsters. In the process, he learns about himself and his past.
Envisioned as a book series, βPercy Jackson and the Olympiansβ has sold more than 180 million copies. It spawned two book series and a film, βPercy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,β that did respectable business. It was followed by βPercy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,β another film. But that didnβt strike the kind of fire Steinberg and Shotz knew was there.
βWe were such fans of the book, we went chasing the property before it was available,β Steinberg says. βWe had been doing a fair amount of detective work trying to figure out how to get at the storyβ¦and it felt like a massive thingβ¦but that it was ready to be put back on the screen.β
Sioux City Journal entertainment reporter Bruce Miller speaks with Dan Shotz and Jonathan Steinberg, producers of Disney's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."
Now's the time
With a 10-year gap between adaptations (βSea of Monstersβ was released in 2013), both producers thought the time was right.
Essential, though, was casting. βWe got so improbably lucky to get three kids that also understood what was being asked of them,β Steinberg says. βPretty early in the process, you forget theyβre kids. Youβre just watching actors do an amazing job with material that you would write for any adult actor.β
Also important: chemistry. βItβs not just about the individual sitting in that part but how these three work together,β Shotz says. βThese three are pretty much in every scene for most of the season.β
While the young actors β Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri β had other credits, none were as demanding as the roles in βPercy Jackson.β
βItβs the biggest thing Iβve ever worked on,β says Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood. βJust getting used to the huge new environment with all of this stunt work and wirework was (daunting).β
Hard work pays
The trick to mastering it: Being all in.
βI stayed in character 24/7,β says Jeffries, who plays Annabeth Chase. βI ate, I slept, I woke up being Annabeth. I went to school, and I still was Annabeth. I wanted to make sure that these fans get what they had been waiting for for so long.β
Scobell says the seriesβ fight scenes may have been tiring, but they brought him into contact with guest stars like wrestler Edge. βIt was so great working with him. Heβs the coolest guy ever.β
The list of actors making cameos reads like a whoβs who of genres.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, for example, pops up as Hermes.
βVirgina Kull (who plays Sally Jackson) was incredible,β Jeffries says. βShe was there like a mother. She really took care of us and brought so much heart and connection to (the story). We learned so much.β
Leah Sava Jeffries plays one of the campers at Camp Half-Blood in "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."Β
Hitting the books
To help them maneuver the world of Greek gods, the three relied on their acting coach. βHe made us read all these Greek myths, which was very helpful,β says Scobell.
The producers, they say, were able to bring much of the story to life before they started shooting. βGetting to see their visions definitely helped a lot,β Simhadri says.
Should the first season of βPercy Jackson and the Olympiansβ do well, βthereβs absolutely an ambition on our part to continue,β Steinberg says. βWeβre four years into this process and weβre finally in a place for people to see it. Itβs readyβ¦and itβs time.β
βPercy Jackson and the Olympiansβ airs two episodes Dec. 20 on Disney+.
Movie critic Bruce Miller says "May December" goes deeper than any investigative story and hurts more than a well-timed social media post.
