This week, Disney Publishing celebrated the 20th anniversary of Percy Jackson and the Olympians — an epic young adult saga that follows the adventures of Percy, a young demigod in the present day who discovers he is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
The franchise that has been both a critical and commercial success since its debut. The first book in the series, The Lightning Thief, was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association in 2006. It launched a seven-book saga that has remained on The New York Times bestseller list for over 780 weeks and inspired two follow-up series.
The franchise has also expanded beyond the page. A hit musical adaptation premiered on Broadway in 2019, and the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians has earned eight Children’s and Family Emmy® Awards. The show returns for its second season on December 10.
Rick Riordan — author of the book series and co-creator and executive producer of the Disney+ adaptation — recently sat down to discuss the franchise’s enduring appeal across generations, his long-standing partnership with Disney Publishing, and what’s next for fans in both print and on screen.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians has become a multi-platform franchise over the past two decades. It spans seven core novels, feature films, a Broadway musical, and a Disney+ series. What do you think has driven the enduring appeal and adaptability of the story across formats and generations?
I think at its core, it’s because Greek mythology is so universal and digs into so many themes that are inherently human: love, family, anger, revenge, loyalty. What do these things mean? The Greek myths are all about that and being able to explore that in the 21st century with modern day demigods is an idea that is much bigger than me and has really lit the imagination of all the readers out there.
You’ve maintained a long-standing relationship with Disney Publishing, not just from Percy Jackson. What makes Disney such an appealing partner for you?
It’s been really great because over the years with Disney Hyperion as my partner for most of that time, I’ve had all the advantages of a small boutique publishing house with lots of personal attention and lots of great relationships, with the muscle of the Disney Corporation. So it’s kind of been a “best of both worlds” situation.
For parents who want to encourage their children to get into reading, why are your books — and the books that are published alongside you by Disney — a great place to start?
I’m glad that they do work for many kids, and I hope that’s because of my experience in the past as a teacher, that I spent a lot of time in the classroom telling stories, teaching mythology, and trying to make the old stuff relevant to new generations, hopefully with a little sense of humor in there. So that’s my hope and that’s, I think, why they work for kids.
Can you talk more about your next book being published by Disney, The Court of the Dead?
It’s coauthored with Marc Oshiro, and is a follow up on the book we did called The Sun and the Star. It is The Court of the Dead, and it’s about Nico di Angelo, who is a character from Percy Jackson’s world, but is such a fan favorite as the son of Hades and sort of this goth figure, and the readers have loved that he now has his own books going. And it’s been really fun to explore his point of view because it’s so different from Percy’s.
Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is coming to Disney+ in December. What are you most looking forward to fans experiencing?
I am so excited that it’s finally coming out and that we can share it with people because I’ve been reading the scripts and looking at dailies and looking at cuts for so long that it seems incredible we’re finally almost here. The thing I’m looking forward to most is some of the artwork that you’re going to see, bringing the Sea of Monsters as a setting alive. Scylla and Charybdis — the monsters — the ironclad ship that they sail into the sea. Incredible stuff, very cinematic.
