The Percy Jackson adaptations were just one of the countless attempts made to turn any young adult-orientated book series into a big screen franchise, as the studios rushed to capitalize on the boom created by the success of Harry Potter and Twilight. While The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters were far from the worst examples of the sub-genre, they were nonetheless pretty forgettable.
Both installments did okay from both a critical and commercial perspective, but a combined box office total of just over $425 million against production costs of $185 million wasn’t quite strong enough to convince the studio to continue with the series. However, because we live in age where virtually anything will be rebooted if there’s a chance it can still make money, a Percy Jackson show was announced for Disney Plus in what will make the fantasy adaptations one of the first former Fox properties to be given a new lease of life under their new owners.
Author Rick Riordan has made it pretty clear that he wasn’t a fan of the original movies, but he seems more than happy with the direction that the Disney Plus series will be headed in. Meanwhile, we’d previously heard that Logan Lerman was being eyed for a cameo, and now in a new interview, the 28 year-old has admitted that he isn’t entirely against the idea.
“Yeah, I saw that. Of course, I read the stuff. It usually starts with an announcement like this for a big project. So, they announced the development of this show. I wonder when they will be ready to make it. They’ve got to approve scripts, budget it, and cast it. Do this whole thing. So, it could be a ways away for them, you know. I’m curious if there would be a role that would be interesting for me or something like that. I’d definitely consider it.”
Fan service has become an increasingly important part of virtually every major production these days for better or worse, and despite the hugely enthusiastic response to the announcement of a Percy Jackson reboot, a Logan Lerman cameo might end up being a little too distracting. Sure, it would be a nice nod to the unfinished and abandoned movie series, but it could end up being confusing in the context of the show, as well as going over the heads of the entirely new audience that have never even heard of the character before.
