Actor Lance Reddick, known for his roles in The Wire and the John Wick franchise, died last March at the age of 60 from heart disease. Reddick was a fantastic talent and we're all the poorer for not getting to see more performances from him.
The producers behind the Disney+ show Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on author Rick Riordan's book series, were left in a difficult spot, since Reddick played the role of the Greek god Zeus, who starts the plot of the show into motion by accussing young Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) of stealing his master lightning bolt. That storyline got resolved in the show's first season, which wrapped up early this year. But Zeus features in the later books, including The Sea of Monsters, which will form the basis of season 2.
So we expected Disney to recast the role sooner or later. Per The A.V. Club, they've settled on Courtney B. Vance, a veteran actor who's appeared in movies like The Hunt for Red October and won Emmys for his work in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Lovecraft Country. He has the kind of experience that make him qualified to play just about anyone. Reddick will be missed, but Vance will crush this.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to join the extraordinary cast ofPercy Jackson and the Olympians!” Vance said in a statement. “There are few moments in an actor’s career when you can honestly say that you’re about to board a series that has such a devoted fan base filled with characters beloved around the world and is based on a wildly successful book series. I know that stepping into this role of Zeus will be a memorable experience and I’ll be giving my brother, Lance Reddick, who left us way too soon, a heavenly hug.”
Riordan also weighed in on the news: “We are so excited and fortunate to have Courtney B. Vance join us as the King of Olympus—it is truly a gift from the gods!” he said.
We don't know when Percy Jackson and the Olympians will be back for season 2, but we do have an official logline. In season 2, Percy “returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover (Aryan Simhadri) has gone missing and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.”
The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians introduced us to a variety of Greek gods and goddesses, including Dionysus (Jason Mantzoukas), Hephaestus (Timothy Omundson), Ares (Edge), and Percy's own dad Poseidon (Toby Stephens). Season 2 will continue to bring in figures of myth and legend: Tamara Smart will play Zeus' daughter Thalia, Andra Day is Athena
Vance isn’t the only new god—demi or othersise—coming to Olympus. Andra Day is joining the show as Athena, Daniel Diemer will play Percy's cyclops half-brother Tyson, and Timothy Simons is the mythical king Tantalus.
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