After the failed movie series, Percy Jackson fans are thrilled to see the more accurate-looking Disney+ series adaptation taking place under the tutelage of Rick Riordan, the author of the original series. Though exact details are somewhat scarce, one thing is for sure: The cast will be aged accurately. The casting of one particular character, however, has caused some controversy. Annabeth, who is coded as white in the universe of the books, will be played by a Black girl.
Some fans of the series have voiced their displeasure with the casting. In some circles, the controversy has reached such a level that it has prompted responses from Rick Riordan. Though many fans are decrying the change from canon, this is actually a brilliant way to bring the series into line with Riordan's contemporary work. Essentially, nothing about Percy Jackson and the Olympians should be changed other than the cast of characters' diversity.
The story of Percy Jackson is intentionally straightforward, as it mimics the quests of Greek mythology. However, the characters are complex. The three principal characters, Percy, Annabeth and Grover, are flawed. The villains are deeply complex, and the gods whom Camp Half-Blood fight for are not good people. This character-driven complexity is an aspect of Rick Riordan's new adult novels. This doesn't just apply to the Percy Jackson series, but also The Kane Chronicles, Trials of Apollo, Heroes of Olympus and Magnus Chase. The motivations and complexities of the characters move the story forward and form the basis of the plot.
These series also feature a massive amount of diversity. The Magnus Chase series features Muslim and non-binary sidekicks, and Heroes of Olympus and The Kane Chronicles both prominently feature people of color. The modern works of Rick Riordan consistently display non-white and non-straight characters. Even Riordan's endorsement imprint is intended to give a voice to people of color writing about characters of color. A great deal of Riordan's recent work features diversity with great intent.
With such a massive amount of representation in his more recent works, Riordan's first series stands as lacking. Besides Grover, who largely plays for comedic relief, characters are generally coded as white and straight. The only queer character confirmed as such in canon is Nico, a son of Hades, who is not confirmed to be such until the sequel series. As tired of an excuse as it is, the Percy Jackson series was written in a different time from the other books; representation has sprung forward in recent years, and Riordan's books evolved with it.
The evolution of Riordan's characters needs to be represented in the Percy Jackson series on Disney+, and Annabeth's casting is a positive sign. The blonde daughter of Athena could just as easily be a black girl as a white one, and this being reflected shows that Riordan's involvement is bringing the series forward as his writing style has evolved over the past two decades. Seeing greater representation in the series is a necessary change from the white-coded characters of the original series, and these changes should not only be allowed but encouraged in the spirit of adapting the series in the true spirit of the books.
