Broadway star and Oscar-nominated songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto) has been cast to play Hermes in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson & the Olympians.
According to Deadline, Miranda’s character is a key guest-starring role in the series. Greek Mythology describes Hermes as a “winged herald and messenger of the Olympian gods, a divine trickster, and the god of roads, flocks, commerce, and thieves.” In the series, Hermes has a strained relationship with his son, Luke (Charlie Bushnell), and is always hesitant to help Percy and his friends on their adventures.
The official Twitter account for the new series introduced Miranda on Monday (November 7). “A message from the messenger god himself: [Lin-Manuel] Miranda is Hermes in #PercyJackson and the Olympians, an original series coming to @DisneyPlus.”
Based on the novel series of the same name by Rick Riordan, the series follows 12-year-old Percy Jackson (Walter Scobell) who learns that he has god-like powers after Zeus, the god of the sky in ancient Greek mythology, accuses him of stealing his lightning bolt.
The Percy Jackson & the Olympians book series is made up of five novels that were published from 2005 to 2009 – The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian. Two feature films were adapted from the first two books.
In 2010’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Hermes was played by actor Dylan Neal (The Bold and the Beautiful). In 2013’s Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Hermes was recast with Nathan Fillion (Castle) taking over the role.
Currently in production in Vancouver, Percy Jackson & the Olympians is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2024.