There’s nothing more disheartening than realizing the people adapting your favorite book series simply don’t plan to adapt it faithfully. For me, that was A Series of Unfortunate Events. I inhaled Lemony Snicket’s books as a kid, and thought the 2004 film would have the potential to adapt all the still-releasing books: it had a cast boasting names like Meryl Streep, Jim Carrey, and Jude Law, but proved to be a one-off film that amalgamated the first three books. It wasn’t until Netflix’s 2017 series that the books got the adaptation it deserved, spanning each and every adventure.
It appears that Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books are following a similar pattern. The Greek myth-inspired series sparked two movies in 2010 and 2013, but weren’t able to cover all the books. But with its second season, Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians has proven it’s here for the long haul, and it won’t fall for the same traps as other ill-fated adaptations.
