The Percy Jackson and the Olympians team isn’t quite ready to look for a new Zeus.
In the Season 1 finale of the Disney+ series, the late Lance Reddick played the Greek god in an extensive scene with series lead Walker Scobell, as Percy faces Zeus atop Mount Olympus. It was one of his final on-screen roles.
Zeus has a presence throughout all five of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians novels.
“I don’t think anybody’s there yet,” executive producer Jon Steinberg told reporters of recasting the role ahead of Season 2, which has already been given the green light. “There’s also just a little bit of denial, I think. That’s something that we’re gonna have to deal with. But we’re incredibly grateful for this character that he helped build and the presence that he created. I do not envy whoever has to step into his shoes.”
Executive producer Dan Shotz added that the creative team had recently heard from Reddick’s wife, who told them “how proud he would have been of seeing” the series.
“It was it was really, really a rough situation, and we miss him very much,” he continued. “But just the fact that the world got to see him in this iconic role — that will live on forever.”
Percy Jackson honored Reddick in a title card at the end of the Season 1 finale. After Reddick’s passing, author Rick Riordan also wrote a tribute to the actor on his blog, where he frequently communicates with fans. He described Reddick as a “vibrant, kind and talented” man.
“His gravitas and regal bearing made him perfect for the king of the gods, but from what I could tell, in person he was nothing like the blustery and distant sky god. He had a marvelous and quirky sense of humor. He was thoughtful, caring and piercingly perceptive,” Riordan wrote.
The author also promised Reddick’s scenes would “remind us of how much brilliance we have lost.”