Disney+‘s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has found its Zeus and Poseidon in Lance Reddick and Toby Stephens, respectively, Variety has reported. The actors will appear in guest-starring roles alongside Walker Scobell as Percy, Aryan Simhadri as Grover, and Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth.
In the lore, Poseidon is the god of the sea and Percy’s father and as per the report Stephens’ character is seemingly absent in Percy’s life but many of Poseidon’s qualities live in Percy, “stubbornness, impulsiveness, and loyalty.” Though he has stayed away throughout Percy’s life, his deep feelings for his son (and Percy’s mother, Sally) are going to be evident. As for Reddicks’ Zeus, he is described as “The all-powerful god of the sky and leader of Mount Olympus.” This version of Zeus is tempestuous and mistrustful—he’s promised to wage a war if his stolen thunderbolt is not returned.
Based on author Rick Riordan’s book series of the same name, Percy Jackson and the Olympians will follow the titular pre-teen demi-god who is 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 and Annabeth, Percy embarks on an adventure to find it and restore order to Olympus.
The action-adventure series is created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz. Percy Jackson and the Olympians also features Virginia Kull as Sally, Percy’s mother, Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus aka Mr. D, Glynn Turman as Chiron aka Mr. Brunner, Megan Mullally as Alecto aka Ms. Dodds, Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano, Sally’s husband and Percy’s stepfather, and Adam Copeland as Ares among many others.
Reddick is well known for his starring roles in the HBO series The Wire as well as his role as Charon in the John Wick film franchise. His other credits include features like Netflix’s Resident Evil and Amazon‘s police drama Bosch. His other film credits include One Night in Miami, Angel Has Fallen, and Godzilla vs. Kong. He’ll be next seen in the John Wick spin-off Ballerina, where he’ll reprise his role of Charon. Stephens has starred in shows like the second season of Amazon’s Alex Rider, Netflix’s reboot of Lost in Space, and the Starz historical drama Black Sails. His other credits include films like Hunter Killer, 13 Hours, and Die Another Day.
Currently, no release date has been announced for Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
via Collider