Fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series were excited to learn that a second season of the popular Disney+ show is officially in the works! On February 7, 2024, bestselling author Rick Riordan revealed that his Olympians franchise has been greenlit for season 2.
Since season 1 closely follows the action of the first book in his series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the second season is expected to follow book two, Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters. “I can’t wait to bring the next season of #PercyJackson to @DisneyPlus!” Riordan wrote on Instagram. “Raise anchors. Hoist the mainsail. All hands on deck, demigods. We’re heading for the Sea of Monsters!”
This news follows the success of the first season, which is the author’s latest venture into bringing his books to the screen. In 2018 Riordan reacted to the news that Disney had acquired the rights to the Olympians series from Fox on his blog. He asserted that he (and most other “powerful authors”) have shockingly little control over their work due to standard publishing contracts issued with the first book of the series.
“Should a reboot happen some day, in some fashion, I would hope, like you, that it would be a great adaptation that is faithful to the books and fun to watch,” he wrote. “The fact that Disney has now acquired the rights from Fox may be hopeful news, but it doesn’t change my contractual powers (which are zilch).”
The author set his fears aside and pitched the series to the Walt Disney Company anyway in late 2019. Development began not long after, and both Riordan and his wife, Rebecca Riordan, are among the show’s many producers. Showrunners filmed all 8 episodes of season 1 between June 2, 2022 and February 2, 2023, premiering on both Disney+ and Hulu on December 19, 2023. More than 13.3 million viewers watched the premiere episode within the first six days of streaming, and the show eventually became the most streamed original television series on any streaming platform in the United States.
What’s the show about?
The Olympians series centers on Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), a 12-year-old who learns he’s a son of Poseidon, making him a demigod with unique capabilities. In The Lightning Thief, Jackson meets his friends Annabeth (Leah Sava) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) at Camp Half-Blood and they go on an epic adventure after Percy is accused of stealing a thunderbolt from Zeus (the late Lance Reddick). They must race to return the thunderbolt and save Percy’s mother Sally (Virginia Kull) from Hades (Jay Duplass). The season ends with the three friends saying goodbye before the school year, creating the perfect opening for season 2!
When and where can we watch season 2?
Riordan stated on his blog in early 2023 that he and the show’s writers were already mapping out the action for a second season. While there’s no official announcement concerning a premiere date, it’s good to know that a lot of the groundwork has already been laid!
With a little luck, we should see new episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on both Disney+ and Hulu sometime in early 2025. If all goes well with viewership numbers, and assuming the series action continues to follow the books, we could ultimately see 5 seasons total: The Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.
Great things are happening on Mt. Olympus, y’all! In the meantime, catch up on all 8 episodes of season one on Disney+ and Hulu.
(featured image: Disney+)
