Percy Jackson creators on the future of Zeus after Lance Reddick death

The creators of Percy Jackson and The Olympians have given an update on a fan-favourite character played by Lance Reddick, who died suddenly last year.

The long-awaited first season of the Disney+ show – based on American author Rick Riordan’s hugely popular book series – drew to a close on Tuesday night (30 January).

Like the books, the TV show follows 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus (played by Reddick) accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt.

Veteran actor Reddick, who was known for his roles on HBO’s hit series The Wire and the John Wick action films, died “suddenly” from natural causes on 17 March 2023. He was 60.

The series co-creators Jon Steinburg and Dan Shotz spoke about working with him in the weeks before his death, while also addressing the future of Zeus’s character in a new interview with Variety.

Showrunner Steinberg told the publication said it would be a “tall order” to replace Reddick who “embodied” Zeus, while paying tribute to the “regal” actor.

Moving forward, he added, that it’s difficult to have two different actors play the same character, but “life happens, and sometimes that’s where you are”.

The mythical TV show has yet to be renewed for a second season, and Steinburg and Shotz said they felt “grateful” for the time to figure out what to do with Reddick’s character.

“It’s a tall order for anybody to try to live up to the performance of somebody else and, like Dan said, step into a family and not be so haunted by the shadow of this person you’re replacing.” Steinburg said. “We wanted Zeus to be someone who needs to be constantly convincing himself that everything is fine and under control.

“That felt like it came with a little bit of theater, a little bit of projection of his own authority, but also a sense of real presence.

“When you take all of those ideas and start looking for a person who embodies them, they just start to look like Lance. He is so – was so regal, and able to convey so many different things at the same time,” he continued.

He also described Reddick as “the sweetest peron and great with the kids he’s acting with” on Percy Jackson, adding that “he went way too soon”.

In the season one finale, Reddick has an extensive scene with series lead Walker Scobell, as Percy faces Zeus atop Mount Olympus. After the episode, there is a title card that reads: “In loving memory of Lance Reddick.”

The co-creators also said they constantly kept in touch with Reddick after filming wrapped up and that “it was pretty crushing” hearing about his death.

“I’m just super grateful that I got that time with him. We have to look at it and say, “Oh my God, he got to be Zeus as one of his last roles.” It’s so perfect,” Shotz added.