Summary
- The teaser for Disney’s Percy Jackson show introduces the main trio of characters, who are closer in age to their book counterparts, pleasing fans of the original novels.
- The trailer showcases Grover’s goat legs – a detail that was often hidden in the movie adaptations – and Annabeth’s knife, giving fans a more authentic depiction of the characters.
- The teaser offers a glimpse of the iconic locations from the books, such as Camp Half-Blood and Percy’s cabin, signaling greater attention to world-building compared to the previous films.
The first official teaser for Disney+’s adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians has been released, offering first looks at the show’s characters and locations among a myriad of other details. Percy Jackson and the Olympians was a series of novels written by Rick Riordan, centering on the titular character. Percy is a half-blood, meaning his mother was a human while his father was Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
The novels were adapted as a movie series beginning with 2010’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief which spawned a 2013 sequel, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. However, the movies were poorly received by fans of the original books and even Riordan himself, with plenty of creative liberties being taken by those responsible for the film adaptations. This led Riordan to spearhead his own adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians as a show on Disney+ alongside Jonathan E. Steinberg, with the first teaser being released alongside the series premiere date of December 20, 2023.
11 Disney’s Percy Jackson Teaser Offers The First Look At The Show’s Trio
The main thing fans of Percy Jackson will notice with Disney+’s teaser is the first official look at the show’s main trio. Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri were cast as Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood respectively in early 2022. That said, Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ official teaser offers a look at the trio together in action for the very first time. A notable difference from the movie franchise is that the actors hired to portray the trio are much closer in age to their 12-year-old book counterparts, something that will please longtime fans.
10 Grover’s Satyr Legs Are Showcased In The Percy Jackson Trailer
Concerning Grover, the biggest element of the trailer is the showcasing of his goat legs. In the novel series, Gover Underwood is a Satyr, an ancient Greek nature spirit who is half-man and half-goat. Likely due to the cost of the CGI needed to bring Grover’s Satyr appearance to life, the movie series often sidestepped showcasing Grover’s true nature by having him hop around on crutches and covering his legs. However, the trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+ offers a full look at Grover’s goat legs, which fans of the book will recognize as one of the first times Percy is dragged into the world of Greek mythology.
9 Disney’s Percy Jackson Trailer Teases Medusa & Percy Battle
Another important teases found in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians trailer is the first look at a major book antagonist: Medusa. The character from Greek mythology was played by Uma Thurman in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. This time, Medusa will be played by Jessica Parker Kennedy, likely cast by Jonathan E. Steinberg thanks to the two previously working together on Black Sails. Medusa is one of the villainous characters Percy, Annabeth, and Grover encounter on their adventure in the first Percy Jackson book on which Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 is based.
8 Percy Jackson TV Show Teaser Shows Ares Without Inferno Eyes
The other villain tease from the trailer comes in the form of Adam Copeland’s Ares. Ares is certainly an antagonistic presence in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief yet was surprisingly omitted from the 2010 movie adaptation. As such, Copeland’s appearance in the trailer will ease concerns that the Disney+ show will make the same mistakes as the film adaptations. Ares’ inclusion in the trailer promises big things for the titular character and his friends, with the Disney+ trailer making it clear that the Percy Jackson show is already improving the movies.
The most surprising element about Ares from the trailer, however, is his appearance. In the books, Ares was described as always wearing a pair of sunglasses as the god of war has no eyes, instead just empty sockets with raging fires in each one. Copeland’s Ares does not have this, instead looking like a normal human with no inferno eyes. This was likely due to the difficulty of making Ares’ inferno eyes look tangible and realistic, signifying a minor change from the book series despite Percy Jackson and the Olmypians‘ obvious fidelity to the source material.
7 Camp Half-Blood Comes To Life In Disney’s Percy Jackson Teaser
Regarding the locations teased in the trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the main book element shown is Camp Half-Blood. In the novel series, Camp Half-Blood is a summer camp for children with godly parents where they are trained to fight monsters and survive in a world filled with ancient Greek mythology. One of the biggest disappointments with the movie series was the lack of care placed into the world-building for Camp Half-Blood considering the location in the books rivaled the likes of Harry Potter‘s Hogwarts.
In the first trailer for Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Camp Half-Blood is properly realized. One of the more iconic locations is Percy’s cabin. In the books, each demigod at Camp Half-Blood is housed in a cabin that reflects their godly parent; in Percy’s case, he sleeps alone in the Poseidon cabin. The films left out this detail, with the first look at the Poseidon cabin in the new trailer rectifying this.
Another shot in the trailer of Camp Half-Blood sees a group of armored demigods running across a rope bridge. This highlights one of the activities of Camp Half-Blood: Capture the Flag. This activity culminates the first act of the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief book and seemingly will have a similar usage in the show, albeit in episodic format.
6 Percy Jackson’s Trailer Teases An Iconic Book Fight Location
Another location from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians trailer that will be familiar to fans of the books is the beach Adam Copeland’s Ares is seen walking across. Without giving away spoilers for the original book, the beach scene marks a turning point in the story of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief that culminates in an iconic fight scene. This was also omitted from the film adaptation and marked one of the biggest changes to the source material. With the beach being shown in the trailer for Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it seems this change will be reverted.
5 The Percy Jackson Trailer Teases Annabeth’s Fury Fight
At one point in the trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Annabeth can be seen stabbing a creature with her knife. This creature is likely a Fury, one of the Fates of Greek mythology that attacks Annabeth, Percy, and Grover on a bus. The background of the scene looks like a New York bus, hinting that this is the part of the show being teased in the trailer.
4 Disney’s Percy Jackson Trailer Gives Glimpse At Minotaur Fight
Another major monster fight from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief teased in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians trailer is Percy’s confrontation with the Minotaur. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a half-man, half-bull creature originally killed by Perseus, Percy Jackson’s namesake. In the book, Percy is pursued by the Minotaur on his journey to Camp Half-Blood as his mother drives him and Grover in her car. The teaser hints at this sequence, with the shrouded Minotaur shown smashing into Percy’s mom’s car.
3 Percy Jackson Trailer Features Voice-Overs From Two Huge Book Characters
Two other major characters are teased, if not seen, in the trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The first of these is Sally Jackson, Percy’s mother. The trailer opens with Sally stating “The stories that I have told you about Greek gods and half-bloods, they are real.” This sets up the scene from the beginning of the book in which Percy confronts his mother about the monsters that attacked him when he finds out about his godly parentage.
The second voice-over comes from a character who says “Percy Jackson. We’ve been expecting you.” The voice seems to belong to Glynn Turman, the actor who will play Chrion in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Chiron is the mentor of the demigods and Camp Half-Blood who disguises himself as Percy’s Latin teacher.
2 The Biggest Percy Jackson Elements In Disney’s Trailer That Weren’t In The Movies
Concerning the biggest elements from the Percy Jackson books not found in the movies that were evident in Disney’s trailer, most have already been highlighted. The inclusion of Ares alongside the more in-depth look at Percy’s cabin and Camp Half-Blood are the standouts. One smaller detail is Annabeth’s knife, a weapon she carries that is tied intrinsically to her character throughout the entire series that was absent from the films yet present in Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ trailer. Also, the iconic, aforementioned beach location in the trailer was not part of the movie adaptation, despite being a big part of the books.
Another small detail that was left out of the movie is Percy’s necklace which he can be seen wearing in the opening shot of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians trailer. In the books, a necklace is given to every demigod at Camp Half-Blood, with a clay bead being added at the end of every year they complete at the camp. The movies hold no mention of these necklaces, something Percy Jackson and the Olympians rectifies immediately with the first shot in the new trailer.
1 What Song Is Playing In Percy Jackson’s Teaser & How It Connects To The Show
Finally, a neat detail at the end of the Percy Jackson trailer is the song “Riptide” by Vance Joy accompanying the title card. At first, this may seem like a somewhat strange song choice. However, the title of the song links directly to a big element of Percy Jackson. Riptide is actually the name of Percy’s sword that he uses throughout the entire series, explaining the usage of Vance Joy’s “Riptide” in the trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians.