24 Frames reports that a sequel to Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief has locked down director Thor Freudenthal, as well as secured the return of young star Logan Lerman to play Percy. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters is the title of the sequel, and Freudenthal’s family-friendly style is in keeping with the spirit of this young-adult mythological adventure.
Fox 2000 has locked in the return of Lerman (3:10 to Yuma) for the sequel, and hopes to cash in on the popularity of the Percy Jackson book series among male young adults. Freudenthal will hopefully bring the quirky humor of his Diary of a Wimpy Kid to the Percy Jackson sequel, as they are both films aimed at the same audience. Director of Lightning Thief, Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), will be moved to producer for Sea of Monsters.
Writing duo Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewiski (Agent Cody Banks) are set to pen the script. Apparently, the film will be hurried into production so it can see a theatrical release as early as 2012.
The original Percy Jackson was based on the first book in a young-adult book series by Rick Riordan, so the potential for a franchise is only limited by the number of books Riordan cranks out. As of now there are six books in the series as well as some spin-off novels.
Percy Jackson, as in the mythological days of yore, is the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon. He and his other demi-god friends go on adventures and face coming-of-age type troubles. The first film didn’t do well with critics but took in a healthy $225 million at the box office. It’s one of those films that will keep making money for the studio despite reviews and so, you can expect more Percy Jackson to come. For better or for worse, this franchise is far from over.
