Percy Jackson is one of the most beloved literary franchises, well, ever — which is why when the movie adaptation starring Logan Lerman was released in 2010, fans were left devastated. The films nearly erased every fan-favorite detail, from deleting whole characters, scenes and aging up the actors, viewers (and author Rick Riordan) were definitely not pleased.
However, since the Disney+ show based on the books premiered in December 2023, the series seems to have righted all the wrongs from the movies — thanks to the help of Rick who also worked as a co-showrunner, writer and producer. While the show is a near-perfect rendition of the books, there were still some changes made for the screen, naturally. Keep reading to uncover all of the mostly-small details that were changed for the show.
Originally a five-book series written by Rick, Percy Jackson follows the adventures of a young Greek demi-god and son of Poseidon as he attempts to thwart major Olympian wars, fight off monsters and attend summer camp.
“After the movie experience, I basically wrote off Hollywood for a long, long time,” Rick told Variety in October 2023 of his books’ first adaptation. “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.’ But when it started to become clear that something was going to happen with me or without me, I had a long talk with Becky, my wife. We said, ‘Well, if something’s going to happen, it’s probably best to give it one more shot.’”
Percy Jackson coshowrunner John Steinberg spoke about working with Rick during New York Comic Con in October 2023.
“Right from the beginning, this has been as much about a partnership, a collaboration, a relationship to make sure that everyone who comes to work on the show knows this is a family business,” he said. “This is a story that was hatched from a very personal place. As big as it is and as complicated and as many moving pieces … that’s always where its heart is going to be.”
That being said, some minor changes were made for the show. Click through our gallery to uncover all of the differences between the Percy Jackson books and movies. Warning: spoilers ahead!
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