Walker Scobell (The Adam Project) has been cast in the titular role in Disney+’s live-action series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it was announced today by the streaming service.
The epic adventure is based on — and closely aligned with — Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series by award-winning author Rick Riordan (buy at Amazon). The Disney Branded Television series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios, and will go into production this summer.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt.
Now, Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.
Percy Jackson is a smart and compassionate kid with a sharp sense of humor. He’s always seen himself as an outsider, in no small part, because of how the world sees his ADHD and dyslexia. He’s impulsive and rambunctious and is quick to anger when things seem unfair to him.
But beneath his cynicism is an affectionate son and loyal friend who just wants to do right by those he cares about. If only he could find a place where he fits in.
Riordan and Jon Steinberg will serve as writers of the pilot episode, and James Bobin will direct. Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner, Dan Shotz.
Steinberg and Shotz serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, and The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.
When Walker Scobell was five, he learned that his favorite superhero, Tony Stark — AKA Iron Man — was not an actual person but an actor playing a role. Right then, he decided that he wanted to become an actor.
He said if he couldn’t become a superhero in real life, the next best thing would be to play one. After attending an actor’s workshop in L.A., Walker began his professional career.
His first film acting role was in The Adam Project, and he filmed his second movie, Secret Headquarters, soon after. Walker Scobell loves the movie-making process and has fun utilizing his flipping and jumping abilities to perform many of his own stunts.
He enjoys a variety of movie genres but always comes back to where it began for him – superheroes. At the top of his list of movie favorites are Deadpool, Spider-Man, and The Avengers. When Walker is not acting, he enjoys spending time with his family, his friends, and his dogs. He also enjoys skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, lacrosse, and swimming.
Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, said, “With Rick Riordan, Jon Steinberg, and Dan Shotz leading our creative team, we’re deep into creating a compelling TV series worthy of the heroic mythological characters that millions of Percy Jackson readers know are well-worth caring about, and we’re eager to invite Disney+ audiences into stories that are true to the blockbuster franchise and full of anticipation, humor, surprise, and mystery.”
20th Television President Karey Burke commented: “Bringing Rick Riordan’s brilliant Percy Jackson books to Disney+ as a television series has been a mission for so many of us at this company as well as for Rick himself, and Jon, Dan, James, and the excellent team they have assembled have proven to be the perfect collaborators.
Burke added: “Thanks to our friends at Disney Branded Television, led by Ayo, and Disney Streaming, led by Michael, this will be an adaptation for the ages, with all the excitement, action, and mythology fans of the books expect and love.”
“The opportunity to deliver a new fantastical series based on the bestselling book franchise to audiences around the world is thrilling, and we look forward to what our partners at 20th Television, Disney Branded Television, and the ingenious Rick Riordan have in store for demigods everywhere,” said Michael Paull, president of Disney Streaming.
A former teacher-turned-best-selling author, Riordan has a spectacular record of success and is the #1 author at Disney Hyperion.
In 2016, he and Disney Hyperion launched the Rick Riordan Presents imprint with the ongoing goal of finding, nurturing, and promoting diverse and under-represented authors of mythology-based fiction for middle-grade readers.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to cover the latest streaming, movie, TV, and game news.