Percy Jackson and the Olympians arrives on Disney+ later this week and we recently spoke with director James Bobin (The Muppets, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) and executive producers/co-showrunners Dan Shotz and Jon Steinberg to discuss the show's launch.
We delved into a tonne of different topics during our conversation, including how they approached adapting Rick Riordan's hit series of novels, the core challenges the show presented, and why certain actors were chosen to bring these characters to life on screen.
Among them was great Lance Reddick as Zeus, and we asked Steinberg about what he's most excited for viewers to see from the late actor's performance as the all-powerful God.
"Lance was that guy. There was such an authority and presence. You could just go on and on with finding words to describe this thing that happens when you were talking to him or [were] in his presence. We were so grateful to have gotten to do this with him and to have him as a part of this universe."
"And heartbreaking to reach the end of that part of the journey in production and have that happen just weeks after he'd arrived was rough. For a show that will hopefully last for a long time and be seen by a lot of people, it makes you feel good to know they're gonna see that guy in that light. Hopefully, it will be part of why people remember him."
We also wondered what the future holds in store for the Percy Jackson franchise beyond this first batch of episodes and, according to Shotz, they're keeping one eye on the present but another very much on what comes next (earlier this year, Riordan confirmed work has tentatively begun on a second season).
"Let's go! Let's do this forever. The goal is to make more of these. I think when we set out, it was to do a book per season and the hope is, with success, we'll get to keep doing this. Rick set the pathway with these books. We have them going forward. It's awesome...it's exciting for us to think about what we could do with these other books."
Bobin makes use of The Volume for Percy Jackson and the Olympians and, considering the fact it originated with Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian, we couldn't help but wonder whether he's keen to head into a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
"[Laughs] Sure! I like working on a big canvas. I always have and this book demanded it because it's very epic in scale...I love world-building. It's my absolute favourite thing, especially when you have a fantastic basis to work from when you look at the work. I don't know, maybe. Right now, I'm enjoying books to screen. That's my current favourite thing."
In the video below, you can watch the full interview. We've also included timestamps for each question in case there's a specific part of our Percy Jackson and the Olympians conversation you'd like to jump to!
0:00 - James Bobin on how his previous projects prepared him for Percy Jackson and the Olympians
0:58 - Dan Shotz on what was key to delivering the adaptation fans have waited for
3:29 - James Bobin on exploring Camp Half-Blood and directing an army of teenagers
5:58 - Jon Steinberg on why Adam "Edge" Copeland was right to play Ares
7:12 - James Bobin on how much he enjoyed directing epic fantasy battles
8:44 - Everyone on why Walker Scobell was the right choice to play Percy Jackson
11:26 - Jon Steinberg on casting the late Lance Reddick as Zeus
13:00 - Dan Shotz and Jon Steinberg on why Percy Jackson and the Olympians had to be a TV series
14:10 - Dan Shotz on the show's future
15:50 - James Bobin on directing on The Volume and whether he'd like to tackle a Star Wars project
16:45 - Everyone on how they'd describe the show in one word
Based on Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series by award-winning author Rick Riordan, 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' follows Percy Jackson on a dangerous quest. Outrunning monsters and outwitting gods, he must journey across America to return Zeus’ master bolt and stop an all-out war. After losing his mother, Percy is sheltered at Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigod children.
He must prove himself and confront his origins once he discovers he too is a demigod, and will take off into the perils of pursuing enemies in search of the Underworld. With the help of his quest mates Annabeth and Grover, Percy’s journey will lead him closer to the answers he seeks: how to fit into a world where he feels out of place, if he'll ever see his mother again, and if he can ever find out who he’s destined to be.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians launches with a two-episode premiere on December 20 on Disney+.