Hollywood has by no means been one to shrink back from adapting beloved books to the large display, and regardless of the unprecedented success of fan-favorite franchises like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and The Starvation Video games, not all reimaginings have acquired the identical adoration and reward. In 2010, Rick Riordan’s best-selling youngsters’s novel The Lightning Thief was dropped at cinemas all world wide, with Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief bringing the demigod character to life with Logan Lerman moving into the titular position.
Followers of the guide collection had been fast to precise their large disappointment within the panned adaptation, which largely deviated from the supply materials and left audiences hoping for a greater, extra devoted model regardless of its stable field workplace earnings. Three years later, the sequel Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters debuted, in the end attracting the identical ire from moviegoers and critics and successfully placing an finish to speak of a 3rd movie installment. Let’s discover why the sequel was canceled and the way it as a substitute led to the creation of the acclaimed TV collection Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
- Launch Date
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February 1, 2010
- Runtime
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119
A Hated Huge Display screen Adaptation of the Fashionable Fantasy Novels
Primarily based on Rick Riordan’s best-selling youngsters’s novel, the 2010 fantasy movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief stars Logan Lerman because the titular troubled teenager. Percy makes the wondrous discovery that he’s the son of the mighty Greek god Poseidon and possesses demigod powers, which he should use to forestall a brutal battle from unfolding after Zeus’ lightning bolt is shockingly stolen. With the assistance of his greatest pal and constant protector Grover Underwood (Brandon T. Jackson) and feisty fellow demigod Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), Percy embarks upon a life-altering mission to maintain law-and-order in his world.
That includes the extra abilities of well-known faces like Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, and Steve Coogan, The Lightning Thief chronicles Percy and his pals’ noble efforts to forestall an all-out struggle from raging on amongst the gods, which might trickle down into Earth and trigger devastating chaos. Percy additionally should deal with the God of the Underworld himself, Hades, who has kidnapped his mom (Catherine Keener) to make use of her as a ransom with a purpose to receive the highly-coveted lightning bolt.
The ‘Percy Jackson’ Movies Fail to Impress Audiences
Famed filmmaker Chris Columbus directed the formidable adaptation, who memorably helmed beloved hits like House Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Nonetheless, regardless of his seasoned resume, he was unable to assist Riordan’s in style novel translate efficiently to the large display. Although it went on to gross over $226.4 million all through its theatrical run, neither critics nor followers of the unique guide collection had been thrilled with the ultimate end result, with many disillusioned with how a lot it deviated from the supply materials and did not seize the center of the spellbinding novels.
Associated
Percy Jackson: How 2013’s Sea of Monsters Film Tainted the Franchise’s Legacy
The Lightning Thief was a poor cinematic introduction to Percy Jackson in 2010, however issues acquired worse with Sea of Monsters just some years later.
Riordan himself criticized Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and even warned the studio that each one the adjustments made would alienate followers of the books, the identical ones who they hoped to entice to see the variation. The creator additionally spoke out towards the poorly-written screenplay, the altering of the principle storyline, and the choice to age the characters for the sake of interesting to a teenage demographic, all of which left a bitter style in each Riordan and followers’ mouths. In a scathing e-mail written to producers, Riordan wrote:
“Followers of the books shall be offended and disillusioned. They’ll depart the theater in droves and generate horrible phrase of mouth. That’s an absolute given if the script goes ahead because it stands now. However the larger downside is that even should you fake the guide doesn’t exist, this script doesn’t work as a narrative in its personal proper.”
Although The Lightning Thief was largely panned by followers of the fantasy collection, its efficiency on the field workplace in the end led to a sequel being greenlit, with Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters debuting simply three years afterward August 7, 2013. Very like its predecessor, the follow-up skilled comparable monetary success and grossed $200.9 million, although it was equally ripped aside by critics for its convoluted plot, uninspiring characters, and the artistic liberties the studio and dirctor Thor Freudenthal took when creating the sequel. Sea of Monsters holds only a 42% Rotten Tomatoes rating, which in the end performed a job within the third installment being scrapped.
Third Installment Scrapped in Favor of TV Sequence
After the rights to the Percy Jackson novels had been transferred to Disney after its acquisition of twenty first Century Fox, Rick Riordan pitched a brand-new adaptation in September 2019, leading to a collection being greenlit in January 2022 with Riordan and his spouse Becky being straight concerned within the manufacturing. Every season of the Disney+ authentic will adapt one installment of the novels, with Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri, and Leah Sava Jeffries respectively being forged because the lead trio Percy, Grover, and Annabeth.
Associated
Percy Jackson Multiverse Crossover Chance Addressed by Writer
Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan says {that a} multiverse becoming a member of the Disney+ collection and the unique Percy Jackson movies is unlikely.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians made its dazzling debut on December 19, 2023, and garnered widespread reward and elation from viewers. Followers appreciated {that a} Hollywood adaptation lastly managed to brilliantly translate Riordan’s phrases to the display and recommended its sensational forged performances, gorgeous visuals, and spellbinding world-building. 13.3 million viewers watched the premiere episode inside six days and by the seven-week mark the present was streamed for 110 million hours, and critics awarded the collection a stellar 91% Rotten Tomatoes rating, all of which helped result in a quick renewal for a second season by the streaming large.
Stream Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief on Disney+.