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Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan shares what went wrong in film adaptation

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Nikka Avegail Sabio

<p>Rick Riordan, author of the popular Percy Jackson series, recently spoke candidly about one of the major mistakes made in the film adaptation of his novels.</p><p>In an interview with Variety, Riordan expressed disappointment with the casting decisions, noting that the characters were aged up. While actor Logan Lerman was 17 when he played the lead role of Percy Jackson, his co-stars Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson were both significantly older at 23 and 25 respectively.</p><p>Riordan admitted that he understands why the filmmakers may have cast older actors, but he believes that doing so fundamentally changed the dynamic of the story.</p><p>He explained that older actors lose the sense of wonder and magic that is so integral to the book series.</p><p>&quot;There&#x27;s a jaded teenage quality,&quot; he said, that is difficult to capture when the actors are no longer middle graders.</p><p>The first movie in the Percy Jackson series, The Lightning Thief, was released in 2010 and grossed $227 million at the box office.</p><p>The second film, Sea of Monsters, was released in 2013 and grossed $202 million.</p><p>Despite this commercial success, the remaining books in the series were never adapted for the big screen.</p><p>This experience has left Riordan feeling disillusioned with the Hollywood industry and has caused him to re-evaluate the way his life’s work is treated in the film industry.</p><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-16" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyddQFTOjcB/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=524&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fent-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A16%2C%22os%22%3A1872323.099999994%2C%22ls%22%3A1035835.799999997%2C%22le%22%3A1036153.900000006%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="866" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-16" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>“After the movie experience, I basically wrote off Hollywood for a long, long time,” he shared.</p><p>“I really didn’t want to have anything to do with the film industry. There were many years of me saying, ‘I don’t want to engage. I don’t want to think about other adaptations. I’m done&#x27;,&quot; he added.</p><p>The author reconsidered and gave his approval for Walt Disney Co. to adapt and produce his masterpieces in 2019. He also joined as an executive producer along with his wife. This time, the novel will be adapted for live projection on the small screen.</p><p>“My feeling was always that television was the better format for ‘Percy,’ because it allows us a larger canvas to tell more of the story,” He also added, “And to be more faithful to the source material, which is what the fans of the books really would love to see.”</p><p>Riordan expressed that the new cast for the much-anticipated TV series is perfect, despite not matching the book descriptions.</p><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media" id="instagram-embed-17" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyjD-d3RgLp/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=524&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fent-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A17%2C%22os%22%3A1873044.5%2C%22ls%22%3A1035835.799999997%2C%22le%22%3A1036153.900000006%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="0" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-17" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px;min-width:326px;padding:0px;position:absolute"></iframe><blockquote class=" instagram-media-registered" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyjD-d3RgLp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" id="instagram-media-payload-17" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyjD-d3RgLp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyjD-d3RgLp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Percy Jackson (@percyseries)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>“Did I care that his hair is a different color than what is described in the book? Not at all. He just felt like Percy,” he mentioned pertaining to Walker Scobell, the 14-year-old actor who will play Percy.</p><p>The modern fantasy novel-turned-television series is set to premiere on December 20 on Disney Plus.</p><p>According to Deadline, the first season of the series presents a new version of The Lightning Thief story, with Percy as a 12-year-old boy who faces difficulties in school due to poor grades and bullies. Percy, portrayed by Scobell, struggles with unusual visions, and during a visit to a therapist, he discovers his emerging powers.</p>

<p>Rick Riordan's experience following the film adaptation of "Percy Jackson" left him feeling disillusioned with the Hollywood industry. </p>

Rick Riordan's experience following the film adaptation of "Percy Jackson" left him feeling disillusioned with the Hollywood industry.

‘Percy Jackson’ author Rick Riordan shares what went wrong in film adaptation

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‘Percy Jackson’ author Rick Riordan shares what went wrong in film adaptation

Nikka Sabio

Published October 30, 2023 06:48 PM PHT

Read More:

Logan Lerman

Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson

Walker Scobell

Alexandra Daddario

Brandon T. Jackson

Riordan

Grover Underwood

Percy

Scobell

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