“The wine dude,” or Dionysus, didn’t play a significant role in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians movies. Maybe there are vague memories of Dionysus day-drinking and having his wine turned into water, but his role as camp director was reassigned to Chiron. That won’t be the case in the Disney+ series.
Dionysus’ role is far more emphasized in the reboot of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He’s portrayed as a funny guy who couldn’t care less about being patronized. He also seems too nonchalant for a god, but that’s not really shocking given his title as the God of Wine and Festivity.
There’s no other actor more suited to play the god Dionysus than Jason Mantzoukas, who has described himself as “100% Greek,” as pointed out by Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan. Heritage aside, Jason’s comedy roles have spanned over a decade, making him the best fit for Dionysus, who is known to be both snippy and hilarious.
The only time Mantzoukas has been menacingly eerie was when he reminded John Wick of how much time he had left before assassins could take his head in a free-for-all in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. Watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I always anticipated the appearance of his Detective Pimento, who consistently had something chaotic to say (or do)—though the only thing Detective Pimento and Dionysus have in common is their ability to scare the living daylights out of kids.
There won’t be any happy campers around Dionysus, who is known for disliking heroes. Surely there’s a good story behind this animosity against the campers and heroes, which book fans already know about. This is all yet to be revealed for those who are coming in to watch the series with fresh eyes, but he’s not as harsh as he seems.
(featured image: David Bukach, Disney+)
