Rick Riordan, the original author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, young adult fantasy novels, revealed that the new series adaptation at Disney+ found its pilot director in James Bobin, who recently helmed the successful Dora and the Lost City of Gold. While casting for the Percy Jackson show has been open for a few months, finding a pilot director is a massive step in developing a series, as the first episode of any show sets the tone for the entire production.
Writing in his blog, Riordan broke the news by saying that Bobin “is both a terrific person and an incredibly talented director who checks all the boxes we were hoping for in a partner." In a previous blog post, Riordan underlined how he wanted the Percy Jackson series director to be good with kids and familiar with the original novels.
As Riordan puts it, the choice was made because "James [Bobin] knows the Percy books well. His kids are fans. His humor is wonderful. We are in good hands, demigods, and lucky to have him joining our team. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes the way we expect!"
Besides directing a surprisingly well-received live-action adaptation of the animated series Dora the Explorer, Bobin also helmed 2011’s The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted, and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Recently, Bobin also directed an episode of the Disney+ series The Mysterious Benedict Society. So, besides having a lot of experience with adaptations and franchises, Bobin has also worked with Disney on multiple occasions.
So it’s no wonder Riordan seems to be happy with adding Bobin to the Percy Jackson series, as a smooth production can deliver a faithful adaptation of the beloved fantasy books inspired by Greek mythology.
20th Century Fox previously adapted the Percy Jackson books into films in 2010 and 2013. Unfortunately, the movies were poorly received by critics and fans alike, burying the film franchise. That’s why Riordan is overseeing the series adaptation closely, to make sure Disney+ gets it right. The first season or the Percy Jackson series will adapt the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief, in which the 12-year-old titular demigod hero finds out he’s the son of Poseidon.
There’s still no release for the Percy Jackson series, but it shouldn’t take long to learn further details about the adaptation with a director attached to the project.