I am so so sorry, Percy Jackson stans — but Logan Lerman will NOT be making a cameo as Poseidon, god of the sea and Percy’s dad, in the upcoming Disney Plus series.
The official Disney Plus twitter announced that English actor Toby Stephens, known for Netflix’s Lost in Space and Starz’ Black Sails, will portray the oceanic deity. Additionally, Lance Reddick of the John Wick series will play Zeus, King of the Gods. They join the three young leads — Walker Scolbell as Percy, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, and Aryan Simhardi as Grover — along with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the messenger god Hermes and Jason Mantzoukas as god of wine Dionysus.
Many fans were hoping that Lerman would make a cameo in the series. Lerman portrayed Percy back in 2010, in the critically-panned and generally unfaithful film adaptation of the book. Still, his acting was on point and his baby-blue eyes charmed a generation of fans who still strongly associate him with the character. And those fans loved idea of Lerman appearing as Percy’s godly parent.
But alas, Lerman spoke to Esquire recently about his involvement — or lack thereof — with the upcoming Disney Plus series.
No one’s hit me up about it, and I don’t think I’m right for that anyways. But I also just don’t even know if it’s interesting to me, in terms of: I don’t even know what that would be. But there’s not a secret that’s waiting to be announced or something like that. I do get asked a lot about it, and I hate to disappoint and be like, no, I don’t know anything, and I’m not involved, but that’s the truth. I don’t know anything about it.
And sure, we do live in the same world where Andrew Garfield repeatedly denied being in Spider-Man: Far From Home for two years, even while set photos of him emerged, but with this casting officially out, it’s time to accept that if Lerman does end up in the new show, it will likely be in a much smaller role than the driving force behind Percy’s motivations.
Lerman made another good point in the Esquire interview about this potential dream cast.
“I get people asking me all the time if I’m gonna play Poseidon, and I’m like, am I old enough to play Poseidon?” he said. “I don’t think I’m old enough for that one!”
While 31 year-old Lerman could conceivably be the father of a 12 year-old, especially if he’s playing an immortally hot god, it does make more sense for an older, more mature actor to take on the role.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is expected to hit Disney Plus sometime in 2024. Filming started this summer. Unlike with the movie, author Rick Riordan will be heavily involved in every step of the project.