Percy Jackson And The Olympians: Leah Sava Jaffries Says "Cardigan" By Taylor Swift Is THE Percabeth Song
For anyone who loved how the era of Harry Potter, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Night At The Museum brought magic into the everyday (and anyone who was absolutely obsessed with Greek mythology), Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians was the *perfect* book series. It has the magical air of your favorite fantasy stories, but since it stayed grounded in the real world, it also made us believe that there could be magic around any corner.
2023 was truly a year of healing our inner child (hello Barbie and The Little Mermaid!), but it didn't end after we finished eating our Thanksgiving desserts and or our handmade gifts because Percy Jackson And The Olympians is *finally* available to stream. Here's everything we know about the brand new Disney+ series.
Are there Taylor Swift songs in Percy Jackson And The Olympians?
Image via Disney+
No, there aren't any Taylor Swift songs in the Percy Jackson TV show yet, but the series does feature "Logical" from Olivia Rodrigo's Guts! And in a recent interview with the Seaweed Brain podcast, actress Leah Sava Jeffries picks "Cardigan" from Folklore as the ultimate song for Percy and Annabeth's relationship (affectionately referred to as Percabeth). Actor Walker Scobell picked "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane.
Will there be season 2 of Percy Jackson?
Image via Matthias Clamer/Disney
Yes, we're officially getting a season two of Percy Jackson and the Olympians! “I can’t wait to bring the next season of #PercyJackson to @DisneyPlus!" author Rick Riordan says on the official Percy Jackson Instagram. "Raise anchors. Hoist the mainsail. All hands on deck, demigods. We’re heading for the Sea of Monsters!”
The second book in the Percy Jackson series, Sea of Monsters, features our favorite heroes sailing for the titular Sea of Monsters (AKA the Bermuda Triangle) on a quest to find Jason's Golden Fleece and save Camp Half-Blood. There's even more danger, excitement, and adventure — not to mention more characters — and I can't wait to see what happens in Percy Jackson and the Olympiansseason 2!
What is Percy Jackson and the Olympians about?
Image via Disney/David Bukach
Sky god Zeus' lightning bolt has gone missing and his number one suspect is 12-year-old Percy Jackson, who has just learned that he's a demigod (the son of a human and a Greek god). To restore order to Olympus, Percy, plus his friends Annabeth and Grover, must set out to find the lightning bolt — no matter the cost.
Where can I watch the Percy Jackson TV series?
Image via Disney/David Bukach
Percy Jackson and the Olympians dropped its first two episodes on Disney+ on December 20, 2023. We got a new episode every week until the season finale on January 30.
Who's in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast?
Image via Disney/David Bukach
The Percy Jackson TV series stars Walker Scobell as Percy, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover. In addition to the trio, we'll see Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, Megan Mullally as Alecto/Mrs. Dodds, Toby Stephens as Poseidon, and Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson.
We also see Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus/Mr. D, Jay Duplass as Hades, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa, Glynn Turman as Chiron/Mr. Brunner, the late Lance Reddick as Zeus, Adam Copeland as Ares, Charlie Bushnell as Luke, Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue, Olivea Morton as Nancy Bobofit, Suzanne Cryer as Echidna, Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano, and Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus.
How many books are in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series?
Image via Disney/David Bukach
The original Percy Jackson series has five books: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. After the final installment, Riordan wrote a spinoff series called The Heroes of Olympus, which also has five books.
What has Logan Lerman said about Percy Jackson and the Olympians?
Image via 20th Century Fox
During a live Q+A in New York City, moderator Josh Horowitz surprised Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri with a note he'd gotten from Logan Lerman (who played Percy Jackson in the original film duology).
“The show looks amazing,” Logan's note reads. “I can’t wait to see you all crush it in your roles. You’re making a lot of people happy bringing these characters to life. 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. I think you have a hit show on your hands.”
The trio was more than excited to get Logan's thoughts, especially Walker, who says his blessing “definitely does [feel good] a little bit.” Walker then goes on to mention how much he loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Same, Walker, same!
Why are there only 2 Percy Jackson movies?
Image via 20th Century Fox/Columbus Pictures
Two movies were made in the early 2010's: The Lightning Thief (2010) and Sea of Monsters (2013). Both were not well received because of how many changes were made during the adaptation process, and since they both underperformed at the box office, the studio decided to cut the film series short.
Check out our interview with the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians!
Image via Disney
We sat down with Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri to talk all things PJO ahead of the premiere, and right off the bat, I could tell how much fun they loved the characters. While they were all familiar with the stories before getting cast, becoming the characters was a whole new experience.
"Being able to play the part helps you understand them way better because you have to be them," Leah says. "There's a big difference between reading it and knowing about it than being them and knowing about them. It's a lot different, and I feel like it was a good experience about feeling how she is. Annabeth is great!"
Walker couldn't agree more. "It's kind of like a whole new way of seeing the character for us, getting to play them," he says. Because they're literally embodying the characters, it changes the way they think about how the kids see the world. "You're putting them into your body, you know what I mean? You're kind of filtering them through your own emotions and that kind of changes how you see them."
"One of the first things that [author Rick Riordan] said to us was, be yourselves, don't have any expectations on how to play these characters and getting to step into their shoes," Aryan adds. Watch the full interview here!
Image via Disney/David Bukach
These actors do a fantastic job of putting their own spin on these beloved, well-known characters, and a huge aspect of creating that chemistry was just hanging out with one another. And, apparently, craft services played a huge role in their bonding. Leah loved a sugary, fruity candy the Disney team could only get from the US (the show filmed in Canada), while Walker loved eating blue food to celebrate Percy's birthday in August.
"This isn't my favorite snack, this is just something that I really want to put out there," Aryan adds. "When we started filming, I once saw Walker down six Oreos in one go...He ate all of them, one after the other. It was the most impressive thing I think I've ever seen anybody do."
See The Character Posters For Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Image via Disney
The character poster for Percy has Poseidon's trident front and center, and he's holding his sword Riptide!
Image via Disney
The detail on Annabeth's character poster we noticed first is the owl, which is one of her mother Athena's sacred animals.
Image via Disney
In addition to satyr horns, Grover's poster features the pipes he uses to open Orpheus' doorway to the Underworld.
Watch The Official Trailer
Image via Disney/David Bukach
The new Disney+ adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is full of color, excitement, and adventure. We can't wait to see the book series come to life in this new show! Plus, the choice to include a cinematic version of "Riptide" by Vance Joy just totally changed my life.
Are you excited for Percy Jackson and the Olympians? Let us know in the comments and check out our TikTok for a recap of the world premiere!
Lead image via Disney
This post has been updated.
