Actors Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries have been cast for the upcoming Disney original live-action adventure series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Both the actors will be playing the roles of Grover and Annabeth, respectively, who are the friends of the titular character set to be played by Walker Scobell, in the series.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is based on Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series by award-winning author Rick Riordan, of the same name. It narrates the story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who is trying to come to terms with his newfound divine powers, when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With the help of his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy embarks on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.
Simhadri, who will be seen as Grover Underwood, is a satyr, (half-boy and half-goat), who is disguised as a 12-year-old boy, and deeply cares about others and will always choose what is best for them, sometimes at his own expense. Though cautious by nature, he would always throw himself into a fight, to protect his friends, especially his best friend Percy, as per Disney’s statement.
Jeffries, who plays Annabeth Chase, is the true daughter of the Greek goddess Athena, and is a brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind. After having spent the last five years at Camp Half-Blood, she longs to test her mettle in the human world, of which she barely remembers. Further, she trains Percy to survive the mythological world, and in turn, he helps her connect with her humanity.
A Disney-branded television series produced by 20th Television, Percy Jackson and the Olympians will soon start production in Vancouver.
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The screenplay for the series is written by Riordan and Jon Steinberg, while James Bobin is set to direct the show. Steinberg and Shotz serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Riordan, and The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, among others.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians marks the third venture of Simahadri with Disney as an actor, after he played the lead role in Disney Channel’s recent original movie, Spin, an Indian-centric family comedy set in the United States alongside Abhay Deol, and Disney’s Just Roll With It.