Disney+'s Percy Jackson series may utilize filming technology similar to that used on The Mandalorian.
In a recent post to his blog, Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan provided an update on the show's progress. "Possibly the coolest thing we did this week was visit Industrial Light and Magic’s 'Volume' stage, where Star Wars TV shows like The Mandalorian are filmed," he wrote. "This trip was just to see how the technology works and what it can make possible for a show like Percy Jackson. To be clear, this is not where we will be filming. But the hope is that when we do film, we will be able to use a similar process and learn from ILM’s cutting-edge expertise."
As Riordan went on to explain, The Mandalorian's Volume "puts you in the middle of a 360-degree virtual environment. They even plopped us in the middle of deep space at one point and let me punch the button 'enter hyperspace.' Suddenly, we were doing the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. The effects are so real we were warned to be careful if we had motion sickness, and they weren’t lying."
Riordan wrote all five Percy Jackson novels, publishing them from 2005-2009. Also known as Percy Jackson & the Olympians, the book series follows the eponymous character, a boy who learns he is secretly the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Riordan has since authored several other novels based in the same fantastical universe as the Percy Jackson stories, which is collectively known as the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles.
While the Percy Jackson books were adapted into a pair of live-action films (starring Logan Lerman as Percy) released in 2010 and 2013, Riordan wasn't actively involved in developing them and has never made it a secret that he doesn't care for the way the movies deviate from and re-imagine his source material. He's since offered fans his assurances the top executives at Disney's TVÂ divisions are "'all in,' as they put it, about making this show and doing it right." That said, the Percy Jackson TV series has yet to receive an official green light.
Black Sails veterans Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz are serving as showrunners on the Percy Jackson series, with Riordan and his wife Becky Riordan contributing creatively behind the scenes. Casting is now underway, with the intention of starting production in Vancouver by June 2022.
Source: Rick Riordan