By Lexie Kauffman ‘22
Rick Riordan, the author best known for his book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, delighted fans back in May when he announced a Disney Plus live action series adaptation of his Percy Jackson books. But as of September 12, 2020, Riordan was not done with good news.
In 2010, one year after the release of the last Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, The Last Olympian, Riordan released the first book in his Egyptian mythology series, Kane Chronicles. The series follows newly reunited siblings, Carter and Sadie Kane, as they uncover the deep truth of their family that lies with ancient Egyptian gods. The trilogy is beloved by Riordan’s fans, but does not have the same fame that comes with the name “Percy Jackson.”
Despite the so-called “lack of fame,” fans have pushed for an on-screen adaptation for years. And like the Percy Jackson adaptation, Riordan heard their requests and delivered. On September 12, 2020, Riordan released a statement on all of his social media platforms and his website.
“We are developing the series for feature films on Netflix! We have been working on this deal since last October, about the same time we started working on Percy, and I’m so glad I can now announce it! That’s all I can say for the moment, but stay tuned.”
Fans are ecstatic, but despite all that they can look forward to, they still want more. Since the news broke, many fans have started an online campaign to get an adaptation of Riordan’s other trilogy, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, a Norse mythology series. However, despite the desire for immediate satisfaction, a Magnus Chase adaptation does not seem to be coming any time soon.
Kane Chronicles occurs at the same time as Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Riordan even released a crossover book in 2015 called Demigods and Magicians, making it plausible to release both adaptations in the same time period. However, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, occurs during Riordan’s series The Trials of Apollo. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, two of the main characters from Percy Jackson and the Olympians, both appear in both Trials of Apollo and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, referencing events that are common between the two series. The Trials of Apollo is considered a Percy Jackson series as well as its predecessor, The Heroes of Olympus.
Riordan has written fifteen books, three five-book series, in what he calls his “Percy Jackson universe.” While some of the newer books do not feature Percy himself, the characters and the storylines all connect. The final “Percy Jackson” book will be released this October. Because the Percy Jackson timeline is still not completely released and fifteen books long, fans hypothesize that the TV show will run for fifteen seasons, following all of the books considered “Percy Jackson.” This extended timeline of fifteen seasons, makes a Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard adaptation possible around season twelve, many years down the line.
Despite a long wait for some books, Riordan fans have much to look forward to in the coming years on both Disney Plus and Netflix.
I enjoy these books, so hopefully Netflix does the adaptation excellently. I know most adaptations aren’t as good as the books.
Love the article! And I think the series sounds very interesting to watch on Netflix.