Logan Lerman has sent words of encouragement to the cast of Disney+’s new series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, ahead of its season debut on Wednesday 20 December.
The 31-year-old Perks of Being a Wallflower star originated the lead role of the titular hero in the original film franchise – based on Rick Riordan’s popular book series – beginning with 2010’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
During a recent live-taping of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz read aloud a note from Lerman, dedicated to the new lead cast, including Walker Scobell, who’s taken over as Percy.
“The show looks amazing. I can’t wait to see you all crush it in your roles,” Lerman wrote. “You’re making a lot of people happy bringing these characters to life.”
Of Skoball, he added: “I can’t imagine a better fit for Percy Jackson than Walker. You were so brilliant in The Adam Project. I hope you like eating blue food the next few years because I think you have a hit show on your hands.”
It was first announced in May 2020 that a Percy Jackson TV series was in development. In April 2022, it was revealed that Scobell would be starring as the young demigod Percy.
The live-action show will tell the fantastical story of Percy just as he’s discovered his supernatural powers.
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Riordan, who previously described the original film as watching his “life’s work going through a meat grinder”, acts as an executive producer on the TV adaptation.
In an October interview with Variety, the author said that one of the film’s “fundamental mistakes” was in the ageing up of the characters to older teenagers. Lerman was 17 when he played the role, while his character’s friends were played by Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T Jackson, who were 23 and 25, respectively.
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“Now, having been through the production process, I totally get why they did that. It’s much easier to work with older actors,” Riordan said. “[But] once you have older teens, it’s a completely different dynamic. You lose so much of the wonder. The magic of being a middle grader doesn’t come across the same way. There’s a jaded teenage quality.”
Scobell, 14, Leah Sava Jeffries, 14, and Aryan Simhadri, 14, now star as the central trio.
The first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians debut on Wednesday 20 December on Disney+, followed by weekly episodes until the finale on 31 January 2024.
