Nothing could have awoken more polarising reactions than the announcements of the Harry Potter getting an unnecessary remake series and the Perry Jackson saga finally landing the authentic adaptation it had been previously robbed of. So, imagine our elation when THE Lin-Manuel Miranda got roped in the latter to play the role he was born to portray.
Okay, anyone operating on how the story and the cast appeared in the two why-do-they-exist Percy Jackson films immediately needs to dump those dregs of incompetence from their memories. Those who have read the books by Rick Riordan — good, rely on those glorious pages only. And the ones who are new to this fantasy world teeming with Greek Gods, thank Zeus (or Bob Iger, your choice) that Disney is rolling out the red carpet of perfect stars to usher you into your first meet-up with Percy Jackson and the Olympians. A line-up of excellence that also includes Lin-Manuel Miranda as the Greek God Hermes.
Who is Hermes in Percy Jackson and what significance will Lin-Manuel Miranda’s role hold?
Like in almost all adaptations of Greek mythology, no matter how fictional, the upcoming series also has his big three gods — Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. But the deliciously chaotic world of Percy doesn’t bind itself to only them. While its already massive boundaries eventually extend to Roman gods as well, even the first book of the series introduces one to deities that have been mostly pushed to the sidelines in popular adaptations.
But this time, Miranda as Hermes will be seen weaving an important part of the storyline in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He is the god of traveling, thieves, and inventions; he is also known as the messenger of the Gods and is one of the rare Olympians to make regular forays into other realms, including the mortal world. The last power also adds another task to his job description — leading departed souls to their afterlife. Hmm, that’s quite a portfolio, especially when you see him pulling magical objects out of his bag always like your average I-always-have-sweets-in-my-purse grandma.
While I would love to gush more about the mostly very likable but slightly conflicted Hermes, I can’t accomplish it without spoiling the show for those new to the magical world of Percy Jackson. What I can say is Hermes is going to be a big part of the young Percy’s journeys and often this Greek god’s actions will steer a major portion of the drama unfolding.
Thus, the good thing is that every actor in the Disney Plus series seems to have been meticulously hand-picked for their respective roles — Miranda is alone proof that the utmost care has been taken to find us the Hermes who will smoothly make his transition from the pages of the first book to our screens.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 hits Disney Plus on Dec. 20, 2023.
Published: Nov 16, 2023 02:10 pm