"Percy Jackson" Fans Are Praising The Important Casting Choices Made For Disney's Adaptation And I Couldn't Agree More

I think it's safe to say that Percy Jackson And The Olympians is one of the most beloved teen fantasy book series. The novels, written by Rick Riordan, are packed full of adventure, compelling characters and an engrossing tale of a young demigod coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers.

Penguin Books

Even though the fifth and final book was released in 2009, Percy Jackson fans are still as present as ever, waiting for the day when their favourite series is faithfully adapted for the big screen — and well, that day is nearly here. Earlier this year in a video announcement shared by Disney+, Riordan confirmed that Percy Jackson And The Olympians was being turned into a TV series.

Disney+ / Via youtube.com

"The wait is over, demigods," Riordan said. "I am thrilled to be the first to tell you that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is really, truly and for sure coming to your screens. The smart folks at Disney+ have given us the green light."

Now, before I get into the new Percy Jackson TV show, we have to acknowledge that this franchise has been adapted before, in a two-film series featuring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario and Sean Bean. While there was originally meant to be five movies to match the books, the Percy Jackson films were heavily criticised by both fans and Riordan himself, which ultimately led to their demise.

20th Century Fox

Issues with the OG films included the characters being aged up to 16 in the movies (they're 12 years old in the books), the main characters not matching their physical descriptions from the books and the plot not being faithful to the source material.

That's why fans were so excited that the Percy Jackson franchise was getting a re-do, especially with a production that had Riordan's stamp of approval. Of course, with any book-to-show adaptation, people began to wonder who would be joining the cast.

Well, Disney+ just unveiled who will be playing Percy, Annabeth and Grover, and not to be dramatic, but this is some pretty damn perfect casting.

Percy, who is a demigod and the son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson, will be played by Walker Scobell. Percy is described as being kind-hearted, brave and a natural leader.

Annabeth, who is a demigod and the daughter of the goddess Athena and the professor Frederick Chase, will be played by Leah Sava Jeffries. Annabeth is described as brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind.

Grover, who is a satyr (half boy and half goat), will be played by Aryan Simhadri. Grover is described as caring deeply about others and being a loyal friend.

Here's a group photo of the Percy Jackson trio together, alongside Riordan. How cute do they look?!

In response to the casting choices, Percy Jackson fans were elated. But it was on a whole other level for POCs, who were excited to see the character of Annabeth being played by a Black actor, and a South Asian cast for the character of Grover.

For context, Annabeth is described as having blonde hair and grey eyes in the books. She's also very self-conscious about being perceived as a "dumb blonde".

And for any naysayers, this is what Riordan had to say about Leah's casting — meaning that he supports it, so you should get on board too because I'm sure she's going to do an incredible job.

On-screen representation is so important and I'm beyond excited to see this Percy Jackson adaptation come to life.