Less than a month after choosing Walker Scobell to headline its upcoming Percy Jackson adaptation, Disney+ has recruited two additional young actors to play Percy’s best friends. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri have joined the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians as Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood, respectively.
In Rick Riordan’s original book series, Grover is a seemingly normal 12-year-old boy who befriends Percy before he learns the truth about his godly parentage. But eventually, Grover reveals himself to be a satyr (half human, half goat). According to his character description, Grover “cares deeply about others and will put their needs before his own, sometimes at his peril.” He is also cautious by nature, but “will always join in a fight to protect his friends.”
Annabeth, on the other hand, is the daughter of the Greek goddess Athena. She has spent the last five years training with other demigods at Camp Half-Blood. As a result, she has very few memories of the human world. Once Percy arrives at the camp, Annabeth trains him to survive against mythological threats; while Percy returns the favor by helping her re-connect with her human side.
RELATED: Walker Scobell Will Star in Disney+’s Percy Jackson Series
Grover and Annabeth previously appeared in both of 20th Century Fox’s Percy Jackson films, where they were played by Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario. However, Disney+ is skewing younger with the TV show’s casting to better reflect the characters’ ages in the books. Simhadri recently appeared in the Cheaper by the Dozen remake and he has also lent his voice to Nickelodeon’s Adventure in Wonder Park animated series. Meanwhile, Jeffries has shown up in several episodes of Empire and Rel. She will next appear opposite Idris Elba in Beast, which hits theaters in August.
James Bobin is directing the Percy Jackson pilot from a script by Riordan and co-writer Jon Steinberg. Disney+ hasn’t set a release date for the series, but filming will reportedly begin this summer.
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Recommended Reading: Percy Jackson and the Olympians 5-Book Paperback Box Set
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