In 2023, Disney+ debuted the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, an adaptation of the first novel (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) in the book series by Rick Riordan.

In anticipation of season two, which is based on the action-packed Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, Supanova sat down with a pantheon of talent. This includes Executive Producers Jon E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz and Craig Silverstein, Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Dior Goodjohn (Clarisse La Rue), Charlie Bushnell (Luke Castellan), Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase), and Daniel Diemer (Tyson).

What was the approach to creating the show? “To make a show for fans who read the book more times than they remember, and for somebody who has never heard of the book, so they both can come into the story and feel at home,” said Steinberg. “It’s about finding a tone that can shift gears between being funny, silly, dark, and being emotionally vulnerable. Have that all feel like a part of the same organism; you never hear the gears shifting.”

Silverstein elaborated: “Season one opened the door to flashbacks, meeting Gods who weren’t necessarily in the first book; it expanded the possibilities of what could come into the show.”

How did they balance CGI and practical effects to create the world of Percy Jackson? “In season one, we used a lot of the Volume [soundstage],” Shotz explained. “In this season, we used it for a couple of things, but mostly we were able to build a lot more sets and do stuff practically.

“For instance, the [CSS Birmingham] Ironclad warship was a 175-foot deck. CGI was used around it for the water and the monsters, but the deck had dump tanks all over it, and we were yanking people off the deck using wires; a lot of [special effects were] done practically.”

There are many changes happening this season at Camp Half-Blood, such as the reintroduction of chariot racing. Was it as fun as it looks on screen, and did the main cast do some stunts? “Fun, yes! Stunts, maybe 90%,” said Goodjohn.

“We didn’t do any of the ‘chariot racing’,” Scobell explained, “if you didn’t see the horses and you see our faces while we’re fighting, that’s us. If you see the horses in action, there’s not us. It’s like 60%. The fights were difficult too, because we are on the back of a truck, in like a moving bucket.”

“You’re right, it’s like 60-40,” added Goodjohn.

“All of this is fun, by the way!” Scobell reaffirmed.

Together, Scobell and Goodjohn explained the feeling of chariot racing. Scobell began, “When you are fighting like on a chariot in full armour-.” “And there’s ginormous Greek columns next to you, it’s really rad!” Goodjohn concluded.

Another huge addition is new cast member Daniel Diemer as Tyson, Percy’s half-brother, who also happens to be a cyclops. Simhadri spoke briefly about the casting of Diemer.

“This is something I haven’t gotten to talk about. We were all a little nervous, like we always are when there’s a new cast member. Walker called me immediately after his chemistry reading, and he’s like,’ Dude, we found Tyson!’ The second that Daniel walked into that rehearsal space, we all knew that this was going to be fun,” he grinned. “I’m very grateful for him; we chose somebody so good for Tyson!” Diemer looked at Simhadri and smiled, “Thanks, man!”

What was the process of becoming Tyson? Did Diemer perform with only one of his eyes open? “We had a great team that made it easy. The special effects team took care of pretty much everything. There were no prosthetics; I didn’t have to wear anything for motion capture. On shooting day, I was able to look at everybody using both my eyes. They didn’t have to capture a specific eye of mine. They kept it super, super simple. So, I acted the way I would with any other character and kept it going from there,” Diemer explained.

On this epic voyage to the sea of monsters, ex-besties Percy and Luke find themselves on opposite sides. How did Scobell and Bushnell get into the right mindset to accurately portray the intensity of this rivalry? “I think it’s just naturally there to begin with,” Bushnell joked. “Yeah, there’s just a wall between us,” Scobell laughed. “I feel like being good friends honestly makes it easier to do those scenes where we hate each other and where we are fighting.”

“I think we just feel comfortable and safe with each other,” Bushnell interrupted himself to put his hand on Scobell’s shoulder, “I feel safe with you.” “I feel safe with you, too,” Scobell replied.” We had all those scenes in season one, so I think we are comfortable working with each other at this point,” Bushnell concluded.

What are they most excited for fans to experience this season? “Honestly, I’m excited for all the cameos. They’re going to love all the appearances, like the Gray Sisters. I was freaked, dude!” Goodjohn exclaimed. “We have Mabel from Gravity Falls, and Louise from Bob’s Burgers; the voice of all my favourite cartoons is one of the Gray Sisters. I’m forgetting her name…. It’s Kristen [Schaal]!”

“The chariot race is something that everyone is looking forward to; it’s long-awaited,” Shotz grinned. “It was pretty much all done practically. I can’t believe how it was achieved. That was the amazing team up there in British Columbia who really made sure it looked as good as possible.”

“Every episode, honestly,” Jeffries affirmed. “Watch out for episodes three to seven, because that’s when we are travelling to all these different places, and it’s very intense.”

“I feel like this season is action-packed and there’s always something going on,” said Bushnell. “The stakes are very high!”

Season 2 sets sail with a two-episode premiere on Disney+ streaming now!