Percy Jackson and the Olympians taps three actors to portray notable characters in season 3. The Disney+ series will continue following Rick Riordan’s books, with the third season adapting Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse. One character has a strong presence in the story, while the other two play more minor guest roles.
Currently, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters is streaming on Disney+ on Wednesdays. So far, the seasons have briefly mentioned Titan Atlas and Annabeth Chase’s mortal father, but we haven’t heard of Dr. Thorn yet. Fans of the books know the importance of each of these characters, whether big or small.
While many castings have been announced as season 3 continues to film, I’m most excited about a minor guest role that felt like the perfect casting. We knew Rick wanted better adaptations, and I feel like he and the show’s crew are building the best cast from the ground up.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast three notable characters for season 3
Holt McCallany (The Waterfront) will appear in a recurring guest role as season 3’s Titan Atlas. Titan, also known as the Bearer of Heaven, was condemned by Zeus to hold up the celestial heavens after the last Titan war against the Olympians.
Atlas, freed from his burdens, seeks to lead the armies of Kronos in a war of vengeance. Book fans know Atlas to have a significant role in the Titans' Curse and remain a problem for the rest of the seasons. For now, Deadline reported that they understand McCallany will appear in six season 3 episodes.
David Costabile (Suits) will also appear in season 3 as a guest star. He’ll portray Dr. Thorn, a stern headmaster at a military academy demanding obedience from his students. Like many things in the Percy Jackson universe, Dr. Thorn isn’t what he seems.
Fans will need to look out for his alter ego in his mythological form. For now, I’ll say, Percy and the other characters meet him early on while attempting to recruit two mighty demigods to Camp Half-Blood. It hasn’t been revealed how many episodes he’ll be in, but I’m assuming we’ll see him more than once.
Although he’s playing a minor guest role, I’m most excited to see Jesse L. Martin in season 3. He’ll be portraying Annabeth Chase’s mortal father, Frederick. Flash fans know Martin as Detective Joe West, where he played the father of Iris West (Candice Patton) and Wally West (Keiyan Lonsdale), and a father figure to Barry Allen (Grant Gustin). We know he has the father role down to a science, but in Percy Jackson, he won’t have a close relationship with his daughter.
Although Athena deemed him worthy to be Annabeth’s father, he’s described as a “sometimes absentminded but truly brilliant military historian, who has a complicated relationship with his daughter, who he loves, while they find their way back to each other.” I’m eager to see what he brings to this character, who is known for struggling to be there for his daughter. I definitely think he is the perfect casting to match Leah Sava Jeffries’ portrayal of Annabeth Chase.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians are continuing to adapt Rick Riordan’s five-book series in order. The first season adapted book 1, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, followed by season two, adapting Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. Now, the third season will adapt Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse. As far as we know, Disney+ will follow the book's format: “Percy must rescue the goddess Artemis and Annabeth after they are both kidnapped by Atlas.”
Before Deadline announced the castings for Titan Atlas, Dr Thorn, and Fredrick Chase, they tapped four other actors for season 3. Levi Chrisopulos (FBI) and Olive Abercrombie (Stranger Things) will play two of Hades’ children, with Chrisopulos portraying Nico di Angelo and Abercrombie portraying Bianca di Angelo. Dafne Keen (X-Men) will portray Artemis, while Saara Chaudry (Dino Dex) will portray Zoe Nightshade.
All episodes of season 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are available on Disney+, season 2 episodes are streaming weekly on Wednesdays, while season 3 is in production in Vancouver.