Turns Out Percy Jackson’s Walker Scobell Struggles With The TV Show Changing Things From The Book Too: ‘It’s Really Hard For Me’

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Disney+ is currently releasing the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The first four episodes, based on The Sea of Monsters, are now available for Disney+ subscribers, with new episodes coming out weekly until early 2026. The season is staying fairly true to the second book, though with a few small differences. Since the previous Percy Jackson movies only covered The Sea of Monsters, there’s a lot of pressure on this new show to continue the story successfully. Luckily, someone involved with the production is dedicated to making sure the show stays faithful to the books.

Walker Scobell, who plays Percy Jackson on screen, deals with everything from battling monsters and immortal enemies to surviving dangerous falls. Surprisingly, his toughest challenge isn’t any of that action. In a TikTok interview with @theoriesbyt, Scobell revealed his biggest struggle is making sure the show stays true to the original book.

I really struggle with change, even when it’s an improvement. It’s just hard for me to adjust to anything new.

I wasn’t quite anticipating that response from him. I’d imagined he might discuss acting without relying on visual effects, or perhaps the challenges of filming chariot scenes with old-fashioned equipment. However, Scobell’s explanation actually makes a lot of sense, and as a Percy Jackson fan, it really resonated with me.

I’ve had these stories in my mind since I was a kid, so it’s tough to fully let go and trust the creative process, even though I know we have a fantastic writing team and the final result will be great.

It’s clear he’s a genuine fan of the books, and that’s what I appreciate most about this cast – their dedication to the story and the source material, which came out twenty years ago (it makes me realize how much time has passed!). Just like the actor playing Percy, I first read these books in third grade, and similar to Leah Jeffries, who plays Annabeth, I even got caught reading them secretly under my desk in class.

As a longtime fan, I’m a little concerned by some of the recent comments. Are we going to see big changes in the second half of Season 2? The previous Percy Jackson movies, made by 20th Century Fox and starring Logan Lerman, strayed so far from the books in Sea of Monsters that the series was cancelled and author Rick Riordan became disillusioned with Hollywood. This Disney+ version feels like a real opportunity to get it right and finally do justice to the story and the fans.

Similar to Scobell, I’m trying to have faith in how things are unfolding, even when it’s challenging. There have been instances that worried me, such as the changes made to the Ares quest in Season 1, turning it into the Waterland story. Also, Season 2 quickly glossed over or altered significant events from the first six or seven chapters of Sea of Monsters, like when Percy discovers Tyson is a cyclops during the fight with the Laistrygonian giants in gym class.

I get that it’s almost impossible for a book adaptation to be exactly like the source material without becoming way too long. But honestly, I’ve been really impressed with the first two seasons of this Percy Jackson show so far – they clearly didn’t cut corners! And the trailers for Season 2 make it seem like they’re hitting all the important stuff, from the big ideas like why the demigods have ADHD and dyslexia, to even the little details, like that funny moment with Grover’s wedding dress. It feels like they’re really putting in the effort to get it right.

With Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan on our side, I’m confident things will go smoothly. Even Scobell discussed any concerns about the show’s long-term direction with the writers, and they assured him they had a plan. Knowing Scobell is a dedicated fan – he even suggested bringing back Logan Lerman for a future role – his trust in the writers is a good sign, and it makes me feel much better too.

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2025-12-28 17:38