Percy Jackson: 5 Reasons Why The Show Should Launch An Extended Universe (& 5 Reasons Why It Shouldn’t)

Percy Jackson features a great cast and awesome storylines but would it benefit from an extended universe?

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Percy Jackson is an incredibly popular book franchise which unfortunately didn’t translate to screen in the right way. A number of poor creative decisions were made resulting in the young adult novels only creating two, less than accurate films.

With Disney now firmly owning the rights to this mythical world created by Rick Riordan, they are turning it into a Disney+ franchise. But with so many other books about mythology from the author, is this a way to create an expanded universe? Here’s 5 reasons why one should be created and 5 reasons why it shouldn’t.

10 Shouldn’t Launch: Focus On Rebuilding The Brand

Disney is looking to rebuild the brand using their streaming platform. It took a lot of damage after fans rejected the previous two films and the general consensus was pretty mixed.

By looking to expand it already the series could be in jeopardy of being over-complicated too quickly. It may be best to look at expanding this universe much later down the line.

9 Should Launch: Great Books To Include

There’s so many great Rick Riordan books to include that it would be great to see them included. Whether it’s focusing on the Norse Gods like Thor (which Disney has experience with) or perhaps heading off to ancient Egypt.

In fact, the Kane Chronicles feels like a natural next step for Disney+ if Percy Jackson goes well, as there’s a lot of similar plot threads and themes that will help it feel linked.

8 Shouldn’t Launch: Too Many Universes

The world is dealing with a lot of shared universes right now. Disney has a galaxy far far away and the MCU to worry about, while other studios have fighting monsters, alien robots, and DC heroes and villains.

Perhaps it’s not the time to bring in yet another expanded universe, especially since most of the other ones haven’t quite gotten off the ground in the way that was expected.

7 Should Launch: The Novels Expand The World

The novels that this show is based upon actually expand the world somewhat as the story progresses. Not only is the concept of a Roman set of gods added, but there are hints to something more.

The sequel series, for instance, features a character with Chinese heritage, while there are also a few nods to the fact that the Kane Chronicles seem to happen adjacent to all of this. Of course, eventually, this came to a much larger crossover novel series.

6 Shouldn’t Launch: Might Not Deal With It Right

There’s always the question as to whether Disney will actually be able to deal with the brand properly and create the series that fans are really hoping for.

After all, the film had disappointed people previously, so there may be equal risks with this project as well. Perhaps everyone should wait and see whether they stick the landing before going any further.

5 Should Launch: Compelling Characters To Crossover

The characters in all of Rick Riordan’s franchises are incredibly compelling. Each story weaves an interesting array of supporting players and teammates that work well collectively.

Cross them over with one another and you get a lot of great conversations and some interesting team-ups. The books saw how these characters could interact with one another and a series would thrive on this.

4 Shouldn’t Launch: May Not Be Interest

There’s always the chance that general audiences might not be very interested in this. The Percy Jackson series is probably the famous work from the author and the films help this.

Something like the Kane Chronicles or his Norse works might not be as well remembered by a mainstream population. Perhaps there’s very little appetite for this expanded universe therefore.

3 Should Launch: The Next Big Thing

Every studio is always looking for their next big franchise. This could genuinely be exactly what Disney+ is looking for. The show and expanded universe would be completely original to the platform.

Audiences love various forms of mythology and the fantasy genre is coming back in a big way. With a built-in audience thanks to all the novels, this could be a massive hit.

2 Shouldn’t Launch: Confusing To Mainstream Audiences

If people aren’t familiar with these properties though it could become pretty confusing as to why it’s jumping between Poseidon and Neptune and then suddenly to Horus and Loki.

What could be worse is that other franchises have defined some of these characters. For instance, mainstream audiences know the Norse gods because of Thor. Perhaps Percy Jackson should remain purely Greek for a while.

1 Should Launch: Original Author

A benefit of this series compared to what FOX was doing previously is that Disney has signed on Rick Riordan himself to oversee everything that happens with the shows.

He understands these characters better than anyone and will know whether an expanded universe is right for the franchise or not. It really is in the safest of hands.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/percy-jackson-reasons-should-shouldnt-launch-extended-universe/