Tag Archives: Rick Riordan

Disney Branded Entertainment Renews “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Series, Featuring Charlie Bushnell, for Second Season

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Charlie Bushnell is bracing for another quest…

Disney Branded Entertainment’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, featuring the 19-year-old half-Latino actor, has been officially renewed for Season 2 at Disney+.

Charlie BushnellThe second installment will follow Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri) as they embark on a new adventure based on The Sea of Monsters, the second book of Rick Riordan’s best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, published by Disney Hyperion.

“I can’t wait to bring the next season of Percy Jackson to Disney+!,” Reordan said. “Raise anchors. Hoist the mainsail. All hands on deck, demigods. We’re heading for the Sea of Monsters!”

The renewal comes a week after the Season 1 finale dropped on Disney+, wrapping up Percy’s quest to find the Master Bolt.

Percy Jackson, produced by Disney TV Studios’ 20th Television, marks the biggest launch for a Disney Branded Entertainment series on Disney+ yet. According to Disney estimates, Season 1 has generated more than 110 million hours streamed to date. The premiere episode amassed 26.2M views in its first three weeks on Disney+ and Hulu, which also carried it.

“Rich in magic, wonder, adventure and heart, Percy Jackson and the Olympians captivated the imaginations of viewers of all ages everywhere,” said Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television. “We’re thrilled to embark on an exciting new quest and a season two with Rick Riordan, our fantastic partners at 20th Television, and the exceptional ensemble of cast and creative talent that bring this story to life.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is the only ongoing DBT series on Disney+ that is produced exclusively for the streamer. Three other shows, comedies The Santa Clause and Goosebumps and drama The Crossover, are awaiting a renewal decision.

The success of Percy Jackson and the Olympians also has boosted the “Percy Jackson” books as the eponymous novel returned to the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list for Middle Grade series following the series’ debut.

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, Season 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson and Craig Silverstein.

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Appear on Disney+’s Series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is playing messenger…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, filmmaker, composer and lyricist has landed a key guest-starring role on Disney+’s upcoming series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Based on Rick Riordan’s bestselling book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson (Walter Scobell), who’s just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.

Miranda, who is a fan of the Percy Jackson books along with his son, will play Hermes, the messenger god who looks out for travelers and thieves, and is a bit of a trickster himself. He is charismatic & boisterous, the life of the party. Unfortunately, his charm does not do much to heal his strained relationship with his son, Luke (Charlie Bushnell). He’s hesitant to help Percy and his friends on their quest as sometimes getting involved is more trouble than it’s worth.

In addition to series regulars Scobell, Simhadri, Jeffries and Bushnell, Miranda joins previously announced guest stars Megan Mullally, Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Timm Sharp, Dior Goodjohn, Olivea Morton, Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer and Jessica Parker Kennedy.

The series is currently in production in Vancouver and is expected to premiere exclusively on Disney+ in 2024.

Riordan and Jon Steinberg wrote the pilot, and James Bobin directs.

Miranda is a Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning songwriter, actor, director and producer. Creator and original star of Broadway’s Tony-winning Hamilton and In the Heights, his additional Broadway credits include Freestyle Love Supreme, Bring It On: The Musical and the 2009 revival of West Side Story. His TV and film credits include tick, tick… BOOM!, Vivo, the feature adaptation of In the Heights, Emmy-winning Hamilton, His Dark Materials, Fosse/Verdon, We The People and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 

Miranda earned guest actor Emmy nominations for Curb Your Enthusiasm and as host of Saturday Night Live, and Oscar nominations for Best Original Song for Moana, Mary Poppins Returns and most recently Encanto.