After two Percy Jackson films that skimped on the details of what fans loved about Rick Riordan's books, the team behind Disney Plus' new series reboot made a point of getting even the smallest details just right. But there are some things that James Bobin, who directed the show's premiere episodes, wanted to be a bit ill-fitting.
“I like that Percy's armor in Episode 2 doesn't really suit him,” Bobin tells Polygon. “He's new, so he's wearing old, borrowed armor.”
Bobin worked closely with Riordan, an executive producer on the series, to litter its two premiere episodes with items from the books to surprise fans – everything from what Riptide looks like to the type of tree Talia was transformed into – but also wanted his I'm sure the references were all building towards something. And so, even though it doesn't seem like it, Percy Jackson and the Olympians plans details about who that character is, why they're in future books, and for what comes next.
“The first time you meet his mother (…) she is outside and communicating with the rain. Even if you know the books at all, that's an interesting character, like: Why is she outside in the rain?says Bobijn. “By the time you get to the end of this episode with the minotaur, it's raining heavily. And so that was a very important part of his father's presence on the show, (which) was completely symbolic of the presence of water in this show, and the to grow presence of water throughout the show.”
Photo: David Bukach/Disney
Building that foundation early felt crucial to Bobin, even if the results wouldn't come quickly. The first scenes with Grover and Percy's mother, Sally, were supposed to feel like a relationship that could propel an entire season, with emotional bonds that could credibly make his quest come true.
Bobin, who co-created Flight of the Conchords and directed other major IP reimaginings such as Dora and the Lost City of Gold And Alice through the looking glassprescribes these impulses Percy Jackson actually came from elsewhere on his directing resume: the Muppets films.
“It's like a national treasure. And so everyone has a real sense of ownership about it; it is a personal relationship with the material,” says Bobin. “And in both cases – the Muppets and all of that – I always came up with things that I liked about this book. And my job is actually to channel that, and then hopefully reflect what other people think about it as well.”
The first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are now streaming on Disney Plus. New episodes will be released on Wednesdays.