Percy Jackson season 2 won't address Zeus recasting – but will honour Lance Reddick in a big way

Last year, it was confirmed that Courtney B Vance will take over the role of Zeus for season 2. However, considering Zeus often arrives in different forms in the books, the show's bosses didn't feel the need for the new season to address the recasting.

Co-creator Jonathan E Steinberg told Entertainment Weekly: "A lot of thought and attention and discomfort was applied to the question of just how do you deal with losing somebody so soon?

"He'd only really been in a few scenes and was instantly important to everyone. He just was such a presence with cast, on screen and off. Where we came down was to let the character continue to be."

Author Rick Riordan also said he thinks the change feels "seamless".

However, clearly everyone on set wanted to honour Reddick's memory, with executive producer Craig Silverstein recalling: "Courtney was so great when he showed up – he made this speech to the cast and crew honouring Lance and saying that he knew what the responsibility was about stepping into the shoes of that performance.

"And it ended up being very emotional but very, very fulfilling. We were certain we had made the right choice before, but we were really certain when he gave that beautiful speech on the set before stepping in front of the camera."

Star Walker Scobell, who plays Percy Jackson, added that Reddick's wife came to watch Vance's scenes and that he honoured the late star "spectacularly", while Riordan said he had "a lot of conversations" with Vance about how to honour Reddick's legacy.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 is set to return to Disney+ this December, and will follow Riordan's book The Sea of Monsters.

Riordan previously spoke to RadioTimes.com about the prospect of more seasons, saying: "The idea, if we are lucky enough to have it come about, is that every season of the show would be one book in the series.

"So season 2 would be Sea of Monsters... and we would go through all five books as five seasons. It's too early to say if we'll have that opportunity, of course – that depends on how the show does. [But] that would be amazing.

"The early indications are incredibly positive."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians will be released on Disney+ in December 2025.

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