I must confess, upon hearing that
Fox 2000 were planning a sequel to
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I couldnt remember the original film in the slightest. Until, latterly, it was pointed out that this is the film to which BBC 5Live critic Mark Kermode quipped was so much like Harry Potter theyd may as well call it Benjamin Snidlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, which inspired a satirical Australian film of the same name now on limited release. However, it underlines the wholly non-descript nature of Percy Jackson, a characteristic unhelped by the presence of perennial family movie hack
Chris Columbus as director. The film based on the Joe Riordan series of novels did reasonable business, making back twice its original outlay (grossed $226 million), and so Fox 2000 did not shy away from the contemporary obsession with sequels and the new film, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters, will continue the series of adaptations with
Scott Alexander and
Larry Karaszewski (1408, Ed Wood, Agent Cody Banks!!) penning the screenplay. The film, based on the second of five novels, will basically be a remake of Jason and the Argonauts as Percy, the son of Poseidon, alongside a bunch of friends must tackle the Sea of Monsters to find the Fleece of Gold.
Logan Lerman is also set to return as Percy although Columbus is said to be having less creative control over the new movie and will only receive a producer credit this time around. Other big names from the original such as
Steve Coogan and
Pierce Brosnan are yet to be confirmed. Chris Columbuss limited involvement is thought, in part, to be due to a hectic schedule in the coming year including- as we reported last week- an adaptation of the South Korean hit,
Hello Ghost is on the horizon. Though Fox are supposedly confident, without a director yet signed, that the film will go in front of camera's this summer.