Aidan Gallagher and Finn Wolfhard among fan faves to play Percy Jackson in new series

9 February 2021, 16:09

Logan Lerman opens up about being cast as Percy Jackson

By Katie Louise Smith

Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer and Asa Butterfield were all included in the fan's top Percy picks.

We're still quite a while away from seeing it on screen, but work on the new Disney+ Percy Jackson TV series is well underway.

It was confirmed back in May 2020 that Disney+ had ordered a brand new Percy Jackson & the Olympians series from creator Rick Riordan and his wife Becky Riordan. In a statement shared with fans, Riordan revealed that the live-action series will follow "the storyline of the original Percy Jackson five-book series, starting with The Lightning Thief in season one."

It's also been made clear that this particular series will stay true to the books, following Riordan's disappointment in the previous film adaptations.

With news that the show is finally on the way, fans have been speculating over who will bring Percy Jackson to life in the new series – and some interesting names have already popped up in online conversation.

READ MORE: Logan Lerman's grey hair has sent the internet into complete meltdown

No casting announcements have been made just yet but Fandom recently asked their followers to send their ideal candidates over and a number of well known names made the top 10 list.

Jorge Benito, a 12-year-old Spanish newcomer, ended up in 2nd place, with The Umbrella Academy's Aidan Gallagher in third. Other actors that made it onto the top 10 list were Jacob Tremblay, Nope Jupe, Asher Angel, Harry Holland, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer and Asa Butterfield.

Topping the list, however, was simply just a desire to see an unknown, age-appropriate actor in the role, instead of a big name.

With Aidan Gallagher, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Harry Holland, Asher Angel and Asa Butterfield all being 17 and older, it's unlikely that they'll be considered for the role because Percy starts as a 12 year old in the original books.

While viewers loved Logan Lerman in the film series, it's clear that the creators and the audience want the new series to stay true to the source material this time around. With the Disney+ show said to be a five-season long series, it makes perfect sense to cast a tween actor.

In a previous blog post speaking about the casting issue of the Percy Jackson films, Rick Riordan explained that portraying Percy as a 17-year-old would "kill the possibility of a franchise" and completely go against the character's main plot.

"The series is grounded on the premise that Percy must progress from age twelve to age sixteen, when according to a prophecy he must make a decision that saves or destroys the world," he continued. Riordan also explained that Percy Jackson was never a teen series, it was a family series – and the on-screen adaption should reflect that.

[H/T Screen Rant]