Following the passing of Lance Reddick last year, the creators behind Percy Jackson and the Olympians have shared insights on how they plan to pay tribute to their departed actor in season 2, while also explaining that a recast isn’t necessarily required.
In March 2023, Reddick, who played the powerful character Zeus during season 1, passed away at the age of 60. This unfortunate event occurred not long after filming for season 1 was completed, meaning that Reddick’s role in the show served as his final appearance on television.
In the previous season, Courtney B Vance was announced as the actor portraying Zeus. Given that Zeus frequently assumes various forms in the source material, the producers felt it wasn’t necessary to explain the casting change in the upcoming season.
According to co-creator Jonathan E Steinberg, a significant amount of careful consideration, unease, and effort went into figuring out the best way to handle the topic of losing someone prematurely. (Entertainment Weekly)
In simple terms, “Although he had only appeared in a few scenes, his impact was immediate and profound on everyone, both on-screen and off. We ultimately decided that the character should remain as he significantly contributed to the overall production.
Author Rick Riordan also said he thinks the change feels “seamless”.
Nonetheless, it is evident that everyone on set aimed to pay tribute to Reddick’s memory. Executive producer Craig Silverstein recollected: “Courtney was remarkable when he arrived – he delivered a heartfelt speech to the cast and crew, honoring Lance and acknowledging the weight of the responsibility that came with stepping into those acting shoes.
The event turned out to be incredibly moving and immensely rewarding for us. Earlier, we felt confident about our decision, but it was his heartfelt speech on stage prior to going in front of the cameras that truly solidified our conviction.
Star Walker Scobell, the actor portraying Percy Jackson, mentioned that Reddick’s wife attended Vance’s filming sessions and that he paid tribute to the deceased star in a remarkable manner. On the other hand, Riordan shared that he had numerous discussions with Vance regarding how best to preserve Reddick’s legacy.
Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will be back on Disney+ in December, continuing the storyline based on Rick Riordan’s novel, The Sea of Monsters.
If you continue with the series, Season 2 will be “Sea of Monsters”. If everything goes well and the show is successful, there could potentially be five seasons, each covering one of the books. However, it’s too early to tell if this will happen as it depends on the performance of the show. But imagine how fantastic that would be!
“The early indications are incredibly positive.”
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2025-07-23 15:15