Percy Jackson TV Series Has The Good Taste To Cast Megan Mullally And Jason Mantzoukas
At a certain point in life, there's nothing more exciting in the summertime than the first day of camp — and the new "Percy Jackson" series is about to experience just that. According to author Rick Riordan's website, the Disney+ show has just begun production, with Camp Half-Blood's grown-up staff reporting for duty. The announcement was also shared on the official Disney+ Twitter account, along with the fitting caption, "First day of camp vibes."
Virginia Kull ("Big Little Lies"), Jason Mantzoukas ("The Good Place"), Megan Mullally ("Will & Grace"), Glynn Turman ("Fargo"), and Timm Sharp ("Enlightened") have all joined the cast of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," per Riordan's post. Though the author and executive producer says more casting announcements are still to come, this first round is still plenty exciting for fans of the five-book young adult series of the same name.
Perhaps the most inspired choice is Mantzoukas, who will be playing the Greek god Dionysus, AKA Mr. D. In Greek mythology, Dionysus is basically the party god, emblematic of wine, theatrics, and all manner of hedonistic good times. In the "Percy Jackson" book series, he's the begrudging head of Camp Half-Blood, a secret training camp for the demigod offspring of his family. With a strong personality and a weird, funny streak, Diet Coke-chugging Mr. D. is a great match for Mantzoukas' kooky comedic energy.
Meet the grown-ups of Camp Half-Blood
Glynn Turman will also be playing a leader at Camp Half-Blood: activities director Chiron. In both myth and Riordan's novels, the son of Kronos is a centaur, but there's no word on whether Chiron will be half-horse in the series. The casting announcement also lists the character's name as Mr. Brunner, a nod to the normal human school Percy attends before finding out he's a son of Poseidon. Megan Mullally will also play a teacher with a connection to Greek mythology, as she embodies a character named Mrs. Dodds who also happens to be the Fury Alecto.
This is a promising cast list, one that shows that "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" will likely retain some of the book series' humor in addition to its more adventure-based elements. The casting announcement is rounded out with the addition of Percy's family: the teen's cruel stepfather, Gabe, will be played by Timm Sharp, while his mother, Sally, will be played by Virginia Kull.
The core cast of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" is super promising as well. "The Adam Project" breakout star Walker Scobell will play Percy, while Aryan Simhadri will play his satyr best pal Grover, and Leah Sava Jeffries will play Annabeth, daughter of Athena.
"Percy Jackson and the Olympians" does not yet have a release date, but will premiere on Disney+.