‘Percy Jackson’ Author Rick Riordan on New Book, Disney Series News

Signed or not, they’re here for it: “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess” was a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon before it hit stores on September 24.

In the 19 years since his middle grade sensation “The Lighting Thief” debuted, a generation has grown up on Riordan’s New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson series. While Riordan has gone on to other series and books, Percy is the demigod who launched his own empire.

Fourteen years after Book 5, Riordan brought the character back with 2023’s “The Chalice of the Gods,” timed to coincide with the launch of his Disney+ series adaptation. When he pitched the series, “I offered to sweeten the pot by writing new books,” says Riordan, 60. “I thought it would be fun to do that as a thank you to the fans.”

“Chalice” and “Goddess” — books 6 and 7 in the series — are part of “The Senior Year Adventures,” in which Percy goes on quests to obtain letters of recommendation to gain admission to New Rome University.

Could this be the end of Percy?

I asked. I also asked about season 2 of his Disney+ show, the possibility of his Boston-set Magnus Chase adaptation, and more. (Note: If you’re reading this on a Wednesday, Riordan is doing a virtual event with Kepler’s Literary Foundation at 10 p.m. ET. It’s his only scheduled event. $40 registration includes the book.)

Q. “The Senior Year Adventures” are a natural trilogy, with Percy needing three letters of recommendation. Will you then do a series set in college?

A. I don’t think so, no. I know a lot of readers who grew up with the show (and would) be interested in it. But the target audience remains middle grade. I don’t want to stray so far that I lose those 11 year olds. I hope it appeals to older readers, but the sensibility remains middle school.

Q. Are you currently working on Book 8?

A. I have it mapped out, but between other projects and the TV show, it will have to wait a while.

Q. The other big news is that Tamara Smart (from the Netflix series “Resident Evil”) is playing the role of Thalia in Season 2.

A. That’s very exciting. As with other castings, we watched thousands of (audition tapes). She was a favorite early on by my wife and I, as executive producers. We didn’t know the backstory at the time: Tamara was a protégé of Lance Reddick, who played Zeus and died very suddenly and tragically (at age 60 in March 2023).

Q. So Lance played Zeus, and now his real protégé plays his daughter.

A. It felt like a beautiful synchronicity. We were doing chemistry lectures and she was exciting. I’m absolutely thrilled.

Q. When is season 2 coming out?

A. We’re about 35 days into filming. It’s coming out in 2025 — we don’t have an exact release date yet.

Q. Season 2 is based on Book 2, “The Sea of ​​​​Monsters”. Do you think the series will continue with all five original books?

A. It depends on the ratings, but it’s everyone’s hope. We’re off to a good start.

Q. Leah Jeffries (Annabeth) won an NAACP Image Award.

A. She’s incredible. We knew she was the best Annabeth as soon as we saw her audition tape.

Q. You’ve talked about your disappointment in the (2010 and 2013) films. You told me earlier that you wanted to make this show for readers who “are waiting for a better adaptation.” How did you feel Season 1 went?

A. It’s been incredibly well-received by fans. I think Disney+ was pretty blown away by how well it did globally. They had high expectations; we exceeded them. And honestly, I think season 2 is even better.

Q. Would you adapt the Magnus Chase series set in Boston?

A. I’m holding off on the Magnus Chase series right now because we’re so busy with Percy. I just want to make sure that if we do that series – and there’s definitely interest – I have the bandwidth to do it right. So hopefully.

Q. As a former teacher, you’ve said that you write for an invisible class. Do you ever hear of Percy taking kids into Greek myths?

A. Harvard has a great professor of classics (Gregory Nagy) who teaches a course on Greek heroes. When I go to his class, it’s unbelievable: an auditorium of 300 kids. They say, I took this class because I read Percy Jackson. He says the same thing, that it gets a lot of kids into classics.

Q. You also have your own imprint, Rick Riordan Presents. Are there any new books you’re excited about?

A. Yes, Lori Lee’s new book (“Pahua and the Dragon’s Secret”) is based on Hmong mythology, her own background. There’s also a YA horror/thriller (“The Dark Becomes Her,” with Chinese and Taiwanese mythology) by Judy I. Lin. They’re both great.

Q. What do you want children to get out of the books?

A. I want to give kids an experience where reading is something they want to do, rather than something they’re supposed to do. That’s my goal. If it gets them interested in mythology, that’s great too.

Interview has been edited and shortened.

Lauren Daley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.