Disney‘s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” opened San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H presentations on Thursday. During the panel, the cast and crew revealed the show’s Season 3 premiere date and debuted a new teaser.
Based on the best-selling book series by Rick Riordan, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” returns Friday, Nov. 20 with it’s adaptation of “The Titan’s Curse.”
Taking on “The Titan’s Curse” in Season 3
“It was my choice to hold the weight, the Titan’s Curse,” Percy says in the teaser announcing the show’s premiere date. “I knew the risk, but if I needed to sacrifice myself to save the world, to save my friends, was it really a choice?”
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Season 3 marks a major milestone for the franchise.
For the first time, fans will see Rick Riordan’s third book, “The Titan’s Curse,” adapted for the screen. The previous 20th Century Fox film adaptations, starring Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, ended with “Sea of Monsters.”
The season also takes a dark turn, as Percy and his friends become further entangled in a war between the Olympic gods.
During the Hall H panel, executive producer Dan Shotz discussed how the actors embraced the change in tone.
“The things we have thrown at them, the emotional depth – these guys, every day, delivered on that,” he said.
Demigods Take Over Hall H
To kick off SDCC, new and returning demigods (and satyr) from “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” took over Hall H.
According to Deadline, fans watched an exclusive preview of Season 3’s opening before the panel got underway.
The panel featured returning cast members Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood), Charlie Bushnell (Luke Castellan) and Tamara Smart (Thalia Grace), as well as newcomers Levi Chrisopulos (Nico di Angelo) and Olive Abercrombie (Bianca di Angelo). Executive producers Shotz and Craig Silverstein were also in attendance.
Leah Sava’ Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) was notably missing, as she was filming the newly announced “Cheetah Girls” film. To make up for her absence, Scobell brought a cut-out of her head on stage.
Jeffries may not have appeared at the panel, but Annabeth will still remain a key focus in Season 3.
“Annabeth is separated from the group,” Shotz explained. “We are gonna open up the world and explore where Annabeth is and give a new look into that. It’s been nice to expand on that.”
Annabeth isn’t the only character getting an expanded storyline. Viewers will also get to know Smart’s character Thalia Grace better after her short introduction in Season 2.
“The one thing for me that I really thought about is ‘Yes, I was so excited to be in Season 2,’ but Thalia hasn’t been established as a character yet,” Smart said during the panel. “She’s such a strong character in the books. For me, it was about building on what Rick created and wrote.”
Rounding Out Mount Olympus: ‘Percy Jackson’ Season 3 Casting
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Season 3 will continue expanding its world of Greek mythology with the additions of Hera, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis and Aphrodite. The gods will be brought to life by Ming-Na Wen, Jennifer Beals, Hubert Smielecki, Dafne Keen and Kate McKinnon.
Season 3 will also introduce fan-favorite characters Nico and Bianca Di Angelo, the children of Hades. Fans have eagerly awaited the siblings’ introduction. They become key figures in the story alongside Percy and Thalia as children of the Big Three gods: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. To celebrate, Chrisopulos and Abercrombie made their SDCC debut, one year after their casting was announced during the Season 2 panel.
Broadway legend Jesse L. Martin also joins the cast as Annabeth’s father, Frederick Chase.
The expansion of Olympus’ cast is far from over. Silverstein revealed during the show’s SDCC panel that the team has found its Hercules, though fans will have to wait to learn the actor behind the role.
