Percy Jackson Is Back: Does the New Disney Plus Series Stay True to the Books?

(SPOT.ph) Percy Jackson and the Olympians the series has landed on Disney Plus. And now the question on everyone's minds: Can this new adaptation heal the, erm, wounds left by the two movie adaptations? The mega popular YA series of Rick Riordan brought mythology to a whole new generation in the early 2000s, with a whole bunch of us falling in love with the characters, Camp Half Blood, and the strangely wonderful mix of a U.S.-slash-Mount-Olympus world—so you'll have to excuse us if we're taking this all with a grain of salt. 

A total of eight episodes tracking the events of the first book, The Lightning Thief, is dropping on Disney Plus weekly. So far, we have two, at around 45 minutes each. First glance proves it's a far cry from the two movies we got back in the early 2010s (with our apologies to Logan Lerman and the rest of the cast). But if you were a reader betrayed by those two, then know that we're here to assuage your fears. We take a look at whether or not the new series is faithful to the books, based on the first two eps. We'll keep it as spoiler free as possible for the newbies.

Also read: 10 TV Shows From the 2000s You Can Watch All Over Again on Disney Plus

Is the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians Disney Plus series faithful to the books?

So, first things first: Rick Riordan, the OG author, is on board as a lead creator alongside Jonathan E. Steinberg. The author had pitched the series to Disney way back in 2020, promising fans that this time, the adaptation will be following his books. Who can forget just how not on board he was with those movies? As he wrote on his blog in 2018: "Once I saw the final script and saw what they were doing on the set, I realized I had to step away for my own peace of mind."

True enough, the series made positive buzz when they released the cast list, this time with age-appropriate actors. Main character Percy is 12 when the books begin, and Walker Scobell was a much better fit—we have to say it—than Logan Lerman, who was 17 when they filmed The Lightning Thief. 

Scobell fits neatly into the character of brave young Percy Jackson, and the over-all dynamic with Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase and Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood matches the energy we felt from the books.

Also read: The Percy Jackson Trio Has Been Revealed and We Are Here For It
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With the main golden trio working well together, it was time to see if the story rings true, too. The first two episodes are titled "I Accidentally Vaporized My Pre-Algebra Teacher" and "I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom," both names too of book chapters. Using that as a sign, the episodes more or less match pivotal sections of the first book, from getting to Camp Half Blood to being claimed by Poseidon.

There are, of course, a lot of benefits to having a series over a movie, the first being time constraint. With the two episodes, we're able to establish who Percy Jackson is and what's at stake with the new world he's in (including a bit of a teaser to some secrets)—and yes, they all flow much truer to the books. From the little details to the bigger plot points, we definitely see the books coming to life in the first two episodes.

Also read: So You Want Both Disney+ and Netflix? How to Stream What You Want Without Breaking the Bank

Logan Lerman praises new Percy Jackson series

We're not the only ones who think the series is good. Lerman sent a note to the new cast, read aloud during Josh Horowitz' Happy Sad Confused podcast with castmates Scobell, Jeffries, Simhadri and author-slash producers Rick and Becky Riordan.

"The show looks amazing," Lerman wrote. “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 [Scobell].” Fingers crossed we get to see Lerman come back in the series, too. Poseidon, maybe?