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    I Genuinely Can't Watch The First Four Episodes Of "Percy Jackson" The Same Way After Reading These BTS Facts

    While there are a few changes from The Lightning Thief book in the Percy Jackson show, Rick Riordan teases that one of his favorites is getting to see a flashback to a Sally Jackson and Poseidon conversation that is "so heartwarming and so tender."

    Spotlight on Rick Riordan

    🚨 There are MAJOR spoilers ahead for the first four episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians! 🚨

    1. First, the casting process for Percy Jackson and the Olympians was "extensive." There was an open casting call, and they saw "thousands and thousands of tapes" of "great young actors." Rick Riordan explained that they went into it "without any sort of guidelines or restrictions" on what type of actors they were looking for. He just wanted to make sure they embodied his characters perfectly.

    The cast of Percy Jackson on the red carpet

    2. When Walker began acting, his dad apparently asked him what his dream role would be, and he said Percy Jackson. He's a big fan of the books and, according to Rick, he's read the series "seven times now."

    Closeup of Walker Scobell being told he got the role of Percy Jackson

    3. Walker was cast as Percy Jackson before The Adam Project was released in 2022, where he portrays a younger version of Ryan Reynolds's character.

    Screenshot from "The Adam Project" of Ryan speaking to Walker

    4. Walker, Leah, and Aryan did chemistry tests with each other before their casting was finalized. Rick said it was important that they found three young actors who you really believed could become best friends and would do anything for each other.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    5. When it came to the incredible adult actors that appear throughout Season 1, like Megan Mullally, Jason Mantzoukas, Glynn Turman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Toby Stephens, Lance Reddick, and more, Rick explained it was similar to casting the young actors: There were no preconceived ideas for who should play each role, but rather looking for the actors who brought the characters to life the best.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    6. One of the most important things for the Percy Jackson writers for the first episode was making sure Percy and Sally's relationship had time to be established so the audience felt how monumental the loss of Sally is for Percy. "She's a mother figure for so many fans of the series. So we needed to honor that," Rick explained.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    7. Rick didn't know that Olivia Rodrigo was a fan of the Percy Jackson books prior to her song "Logical" being featured in Episode 1 when Sally is sitting in the rain. But, he's since found out she's a fan, and he called it "a great honor."

    Twitter: @oliviarodrigo / Via x.com
    Speaking about the incredible "Logical" needle drop in Episode 1, Rick said, "I can't take any credit for the music selections. We have a whole team that does that. That's not my forte, and I wouldn't know where to start. I wasn't aware that they were going to pick that song. But, I'm so glad they did. Those are the kind of things that even surprise me. It's also a tribute to the way that a television show is put together. That it's not just my vision. It is a team effort, a team sport, and you have to let everyone else who's involved do what they're best at and bring their artistic vision to it as well."

    8. Throughout Season 1, the writers made sure to thread in little hints about future characters and storylines that Percy Jackson book fans will pick up on, like Sally seemingly making a reference to Nico di Angelo in Episode 1 and Grover talking about Pan in Episode 4.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    9. Rick considers Episode 2 "one of the most challenging" to work on because they had to cover so much ground, in terms of introducing Camp Half-Blood, a lot of new characters, the quest, and more.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    10. The level of detail that went into each cabin at Camp Half-Blood was extensive. While you can't see everything while watching the episode, Rick loved that in the Hermes cabin, "There was a Mythomagic card game spread out on one of the bunks. There was graffiti carved into the side of the bunk beds."

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    11. In order to make Camp Half-Blood look absolutely perfect, it wasn't filmed in just one location. The team made sure they found "the perfect beach and the perfect woods" in various locations so that camp would be just as book readers had envisioned it.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    12. It took weeks to prepare and then film the capture the flag game from Episode 2 in order to make sure it was just right. Rick said the kids "were fighting with the swords over and over and over again to get just the right shot," and Walker and his stunt double had to perform Percy's tumble down the cliff several times.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    13. One of the changes from The Lightning Thief that Rick loves is that Annabeth pushes Percy into the water when Poseidon claims him. He said it shows that "Annabeth is an agent of change. She's not just a bystander."

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    14. Another difference between the book vs. the show is Rick enjoyed being able to see scenes that Percy's not part of and getting to expand characters outside of their relationship with Percy. In particular, one scene that Rick loves is an upcoming flashback with Sally and Poseidon.

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    15. Similarly, Rick also loved the change to Medusa's story and how the show allows time to acknowledge, "Who's a hero and who's a monster is not always as obvious as the narrative might have you believe."

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    16. The set for Medusa's home, aka Aunty Em's, was actually "way out in the woods," so much so that the cast and crew were warned about wild bears.

    17. One of the most "satisfying moments" for Rick in the adaptation was finally getting to bring the St. Louis arch scene to life because "it's so critical" to Percy's story, and it makes a "turning point for him, where he comes out of that experience a different kid than he was going in."

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    18. One of Rick's favorite Easter eggs is the two wild owls that show up in Episode 2. They just appeared in the woods while they were filming, and he said, "It felt like Athena was looking out for us."

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    19. And finally, Rick's favorite episode is Episode 5, which features the introduction of Ares and the iconic water ride moment between Percy and Annabeth. He said it's also the episode where Walker, Leah, and Aryan really began to click as a team. Rick added, "The second half of the season is even better because of that."

    Screenshots from "Percy Jackson"

    New episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians drop Tuesdays at 9 p.m ET/ 6 p.m. PT on Disney+.