When you really think about it, there’s hardly a better casting on TV out there right now than the late Lance Reddick as the king of the gods, Zeus. Disney Plus’ upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians lucked out, in what became the actor’s final TV role.
James Bobin, an executive producer on the show and director of its first two episodes, is fully aware of his extraordinary luck. “That’s not how it normally works,” Bobin told We Got This Covered in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, as he discussed bringing the all-star cast of Greek gods into the fold. Turns out most of them were offered the roles, and issued a quick “yes” in return.
“We had a pretty good idea about the people we would like and then they were very fortunately interested, which is great,” the filmmaker shared, adding that they were either fans of the books, or knew someone who was. A few examples of other acting heavyweights joining Reddick in Mount Olympus are Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus, and Toby Stephens as Poseidon. That’s about as perfect as it gets.
Reddick, Bobin revealed, was as commanding as ever as Zeus on the set of Percy Jackson. Instead of the shiny gold armor we’ve seen the god of the sky sporting in productions like Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder or even the other, unfavored live-action adaptation of Rick Riordan’s book series, Reddick wears the most authoritative garment there is — an impeccably-tailored suit.
“When you watch him, in his striped suit, just stand up off the throne, you go ‘Ok, that’s Zeus. I know who that is.’ And so that’s just fantastic,” the Percy Jackson executive producer gushed. “Lance is incredible as Zeus,” he added. Well, we can’t wait to see the actor, who gave us unforgettable performances in shows like The Wire and Fringe, in action one last time on the small screen.
