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It's Percy Jackson's world and we're just living in it.

In case you've been living under a rock the past couple of months, Rick Riordan's famous book series has now been adapted into a show on Disney+ with a second season on its way. Since debuting in December 2023, the show has already broken several records. It's currently the most-watched premiere of Disney-branded TV *ever*, and rumors have swirled that studio executives are setting it up to become a major franchise like Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But what do Star Wars and the MCU have that the TV version of Percy Jackson currently doesn't? Spin-offs.

That *almost* changed. In September 2020, Netflix announced that it would be adapting The Kane Chronicles (another Riordanverse book series) into movies. The Kane Chronicles follow siblings Carter and Sadie Kane as they delve into the world of ancient Egyptian mythology. But as Riordan recently revealed online, the project is now in "turnaround."

In movie speak, this basically means that the studio with the adaptation rights has decided to quit the project. There are a few reasons this could have happened: Maybe Netflix is trying to focus on other projects, maybe they're trying to cut back on spending or maybe it's something else entirely. The good news is that The Kane Chronicles is still available for another studio to pick up.

@kane_chronicles_updates

As fans have already pointed out, the most obvious platform to take over this adaptation would be Disney+. Season 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians has been a smash hit, and by bringing The Kane Chronicles on board, they could create the potential for a crossover like the one that happened in the books (refresher for book fans: the Kane siblings meet Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase in Demigods & Magicians, a set of spinoff stories by Riordan).

If Carter and Sadie Kane join Disney's Percyverse, that also leaves room for other Riordanverse characters to make onscreen appearances, like Annabeth's cousin Magnus (who has his own supernatural adventures with Norse deities in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series).

And of course, there's the most obvious route Disney could take in advancing their Percyverse: adapting The Heroes of Olympus.

For anyone who hasn't read the books, The Heroes of Olympus is a five-book saga that continues where the original Percy Jackson series left off. A case of disappearing demigods causes the Greek and Roman empires to collide in the 21st century as an old prophecy unites seven demigods on a quest—including our faves Percy and Annabeth.

@baaozhe

Walker Scobell, who plays Percy in the Disney+ series, has said that he's excited by the opportunity to be part of a potential The Heroes of Olympus spinoff and portray the character in a more mature, "darker" story. And Aryan Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood, has been anything but shy about his love for the many tales of the Riordanverse. Who knows? If Percy Jackson and the Olympians completes its planned five-season run, we may get even more screentime with our favorite actors.

Hopefully the executives at Disney+ realize they've struck gold with their new Percyverse and continue telling stories about our fave half-bloods for years to come. There's plenty of source material that would blow audiences away if adapted onscreen, and with how expansive this fictional world is, there's even space to adapt stories that Riordan never fully fleshed out in his books. (Consider this my pitch for a prequel about Sally Jackson and Poseidon!).

Whatever the future of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is, it definitely looks bright.

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Top image: @percyseries
Slider image: @percyseries

by Hana Tilksew | 3/27/2024