A new mainline Percy Jackson and the Olympians book? The long-awaited live-action series? Upcoming movies? Percy Jackson is back and we couldn’t be happier.
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When it comes to the expansive list of modern-day teen fantasy series in literature, the Percy Jackson series holds a special place in the hearts of many. The mainline series and its spin-offs have built a global fanbase of those who love the tales of young demigods set in the modern world. But while the books are loved, its other forays haven’t been as well received.
Most notably, the live-action movie adaptions from the early 2010s were, by and large, not the adaptations the series deserved. For a while, it looked like PJO wouldn’t be getting the proper love and care it needed. But this 2022 and beyond, the comeback is real as Percy Jackson and the Olympians is having its much-deserved moment in the spotlight.
NEW MAINLINE BOOK
In case you haven’t been keeping up, so many projects are currently in the works in the PJO universe. Most recently, fans reacted with glee when series creator Rick Riordan revealed that a new mainline book for the Percy Jackson series was in the works. It should be noted that the last time we followed the adventures of Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood was over 14 years ago in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian. But this September 26, 2023, prepare to reunite with the trio when the sixth mainline installment, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods, drops.
Nearly a decade after the release of THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood will star in a brand new adventure from Rick Riordan!
— Rick Riordan (@rickriordan) October 18, 2022
PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE CHALICE OF THE GODS will go on sale September 26, 2023! https://t.co/7YJTDUd9Tl
In an interview with Publisher Weekly, Riordan revealed that he initially intended to make the new book as a way to entice Hollywood studios to support the Percy Jackson TV adaptation. But when the deal with Disney was approved, he didn’t need the pitch. Later down the line, Disney asked Riordan if he had something to publish to support the new show, and thus the sixth book was revived. “I have these ideas that I came up with two years ago. Why don’t we give the fans a treat?”
WHAT TO EXPECT
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods is set to follow the trio as they help Ganymede, Zeus’s cupbearer, with retrieving the missing Chalice, a magical artifact with the power of granting immortality to those who drink from it. According to Riordan, the book will feature new aspects of the Percy Jackson world, but also keep the classic elements of the series. “There will be other gods we haven’t seen. It’s going to continue the Percy Jackson tradition of encountering gods and monsters, and it takes place mostly in and around New York City. It’s not meant to be a world-ending adventure, it’s a day in the life of a demigod.”
Additionally, the sixth book will add the new wrinkle of Percy preparing to head off to college. “I knew we had a year to play with during Percy’s senior year in high school, where nothing had been sketched out, no canon described,” Riordan said. “All we know is he’s in school in New York. So what would happen to him? Of course, he’s getting ready for college. And I’ve been through that with my two boys, and that means recommendation letters.”
He adds, “[T]o get into New Rome University, you need recommendation letters from the gods, and they don’t give those out for free. So Percy has to do quests—not to save the world this time, but just to get into college.”
And by the way, Riordan did not rule out more adventures following Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. But that’s dependent upon the reception of the new book and the upcoming Disney+ series. Speaking of which…
DISNEY+ SERIES IN 2024
For the longest time, fans have begged for a proper series adaptation of Percy Jackson. And 2022 finally gave that as Riordan confirmed at the beginning of the year that the series reboot was a go at Disney+. Since then, the following months have been filled with casting announcements and a teaser trailer that dropped in D23 back in September. Currently, the series is slated for a release sometime in 2024. While that is a ways off, Riordan did say that series is shaping up to be quite epic.
“It’s ambitious. No one has done anything like this before on several levels: to have a show carried by young actors in every single scene, and it’s a road trip show so every episode is entirely different. It’s tough, expensive, and challenging. And what we’re seeing is pretty incredible.” From what we’ve seen so far, the series looks promising. So, we’re giving the team all the time they need as long as they give us the show that we’ve been wanting for years.
UPCOMING BOOK AND FILM PROJECTS
If the plate for PJO fans already looks full, they need to make room for more space because that’s not all in the works in the PJO universe. In May 2023, fans can look forward to The Sun and the Star, a collaboration between Riordan and Mark Oshiro, which focuses on the demigod son of Hades, Nico di Angelo, and his boyfriend, demigod son of Apollo, Will Solace, as they journey into the Underworld to save an old friend. The Celtic mythology manuscript is also in development.
Aside from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Disney+ also has a Daughter of the Deep film in development. Speaking of movies, Netflix is currently in development of The Kane Chronicles film series, which means we won’t see a crossover between Kane Chronicles and PJO anytime soon. But still, we are just happy it’s in the works. And let’s not forget the books coming from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint for Disney-Hyperion. One of their upcoming projects is a trilogy called Highsummer from Filipino author Tori Tadiar with the first novel set to drop in 2024.
Rick Riordan is a busy man. But who’s complaining, right? Everything that’s happening to the PJO universe right now is what fans have been hoping for years. The coming couple of years will be a busy one and we can’t wait to experience it.
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