Fans react to new Percy Jackson casting announcement

The Percy Jackson Disney+ series is well underway with casting, and fans are loving it.

The new series coming to Disney+, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, has officially begun filming.

On June 2, 2022. Disney+ announced the news in an Instagram post, which features a Percy-branded director’s chair and clapperboard.

Based on the books by Rick Riordan – who is heavily involved in the series’ script writing – the series will follow demi-god Percy Jackson as he battles mythical creatures in the world of Camp Halfblood.

Some casting had already been announced prior to filming. 13-year-old Walker Scobell – famous for Ryan Reynold‘s film The Adam Project – had been cast as the titular hero. Leah Sava Jefferies – from series Empire – was cast as love interest Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhadri – from Disney+’s Cheaper by the Dozen – was cast as best friend and guardian Grover.

But now that cast has grown, as on the same day filming started, announcements were made about a number of stars who would be joining the cast.

Who has newly been cast in the Percy Jackson series?

According to Variety, five new members have joined the cast, and they all seem fantastic.

Percy Jackson fan news account, @updatespercy, has made a wonderful graphic showing all of the characters that have been knowingly cast so far.

The casting includes Virgina Kull, who will be playing Sally Jackson, Percy’s loving and self-sacrificing mother. Kull is known for shows such as Big Little Lies.

Glynn Turman, known his recent film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, will be playing Chiron, the centaur teacher who will be there to offer Percy guidance.

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Timm Sharp – of Enlightened fame – has been cast as Gabe Ugliano, the stereotypical evil stepfather to Percy. According to Rick Riordan, his audition had everyone laughing out loud.

Megan Mullally – one of the stars of Will & Grace, will be playing Alecto – AKA Mrs Dodds, a monstrous math teacher who actually ends up being a monster; a fury who works for Hades.

Finally, comedic actor Jason Mantzoukas – best known for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place – has been cast as Dionysus, the grumpy wine god who runs Camp Halfblood.

How have fans reacted to the Percy Jackson casting?

While some fans admitted that they had their own hopes for who would be cast, the reception for those who were actually cast has been overwhelmingly positive.

Fans have even taken to twitter to express their excitement for the show and its future.

Fans seem particularly excited for Mantzoukas’ casting. And since the actor is famous for his role as Adrien Pimento on popular series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, many have been making relevant memes about his upcoming role as Dionysus.

Not only that, but the casting has led fans to reveal who they hope will be cast in other roles next.

When and where can I watch Percy Jackson?

As filming has only just started, there is no official date for when the Percy Jackson series will be released for viewing.

But fans can expect to watch it on streaming platform Disney+.