FILM: Cast of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson"

Chris Columbus (Harry Potter 1 & 2) is adapting the first novel in Rick Riordan's five-book series Percy Jackson, which is subtitled The Lightning Thief. It's the story of a boy with ADHD and dyslexia who discovers he's Perseus, a descendant of the Greek god Poseidon, and "sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods." In the first novel, Zeus accuses him of stealing his thunderbolt and, with the help of a satyr (Tropic Thunder's Brandon T. Jackson) and Athena's daughter Annabeth (Alexandria Daddario from "All My Children"), he finds the real thief in order to clear his name. If I'm not mistaken, the film starts off in present-day reality, mythical beings attack him in present-day reality, and then his adventure truly begins in the world of the Gods, kind of like The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter.

Logan Lerman ("Jack & Bobby" and 3:10 to Yuma) plays the lead:

Zeus = Sean Bean




Poseidon = Kevin McKidd




Athena = Melina Kanakaredes




Aphrodite = Serinda Swan(played Zatana on "Smallville")

Hades = Steve Coogan (Hamlet 2) Persephone = Rosario Dawson

Ares = Ray Winstone

(Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)

More Supporting Characters:
Annabeth Chase = Alexandra Daddario ("All My Children")
She's the daughter of Athena. She has a Yankee cap that gives her the power of invisibility (read into that what you wish). She's like the Hermione of the series.

Grover Underwood = Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder)
He's a satyr who was secretly assigned to guard Percy at boarding school and he joins him on all of his quests.

Luke Castellan = newcomer Jake Abel
He is the son of the messenger God Hermes and an antagonist in the novel. He's a counselor at the camp that trains half-bloods, and apart of a love triangle with Annabeth and Percy.

Medusa = Uma Thurman
A hideous woman with a head full of snakes who with one look can turn you to stone. That's not exactly what I think of when I think of Uma. Her character is involved in an important death in the series.

Chiron = Pierce Brosnan
He'll play a centaur who's the assistant director to Camp Half Blood. He specializes in medicine and is a respected oracle. He's in possession of a prophecy that may apply to Percy. He has an invested interest in his future and even gives him a sword that was once used by Hercules. He's unlike any other centaur for he is the son of a Titan.

Interesting Plot Points:

• The demi-god/half-blood (half human, half God) advantage is having ADHD and dyslexia, which is supposed to make them more aware in battles.
• The demi-gods are trained at Camp Half Blood, like Harry Potter is trained at Hogwarts.
• Percy's mom (played by Catherine Keener) married an obnoxious gambler because "the stench of his human banality can mask Percy's divine blood."

This sort of stinks of Harry Potter. I dunno.

Check out which actors will play the Gods: