The series has found its lead
Fresh from his time-jumping jaunt with Ryan Reynolds on Netflix, Walker Scobell will head up the newest Disney+ franchise.
The 'Percy Jackson' series on Disney+ has chosen 13-year-old Walker Scobell to head up the story about the titular demigod.
Based on the successful Rick Riordan book series, Disney+'s 'Percy Jackson And The Olympians' will focus on the 12-year-old American who finds out that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. A bit of an outsider with ADHD and dyslexia, Jackson must restore order to Olympus after Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt.
There have already been a couple of minorly successful movies from the early 2010s, with Logan Lerman in the lead role. However, the series failed to light up the box office, or critics and audiences opinions for that matter, and the series was canned after two films. It arrived on screens as 'Harry Potter' was drawing to a close, but unfortunately didn't have the charm nor the success of its UK-based counterpart.
'The Adam Project' discovered Walker Scobell for the role of a young version of Ryan Reynolds' time-travelling character, and the film has served as the young star's first break-out role. Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldaña and Jennifer Garner also starred, and the film was another Netflix hit, viewed for over 92 million hours over its debut weekend in March.
Before Scobell becomes wrapped up in what Disney+ is hoping will be a multi-season YA fantasy franchise, he'll next appear in 'Secret Headquarters' alongside Owen Wilson. Another sci-fi adventure, Scobell will play Wilson's son who discovers a secret superhero lair in their house's basement. It's due for release later this year.
'Percy Jackson And The Olympians' was announced for Disney+ in January. Production is set to begin this summer.
Via Variety.