Dream team: Percy Jackson creator and Wednesday director plot new Disney+ show from beloved books
Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan is teaming with Wednesday’s director on a Disney+ series based on his beloved post-Percy books, with development now pushing ahead at Disney.
So, here's one for fans of Percy Jackson and anyone who grew up scribbling creatures from Egyptian mythology in their notebook margins. Disney+ has finally pressed go on a live-action series adaptation of The Kane Chronicles, those three adventure novels from Rick Riordan that's all about ancient gods, pharaohs, and magical chaos but, crucially, absolutely nothing to do with the Greek stuff Percy tackles.
The Kane Chronicles TV adaptation is now in development at Disney, after the rights reverted from Netflix and 20th Television picked them up in 2024.
Mythology, But Make It Egyptian
You probably know Riordan for his demigod adventures, but The Kane Chronicles flips the script. This one follows Carter and Sadie Kane, a pair of siblings who find out they’re descendants of actual pharaohs—which, yes, is about as much trouble as it sounds. Across the trilogy (The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, and The Serpent’s Shadow), they’re battling gods, saving the world, and causing all kinds of magical mayhem. It’s ancient curses over drachmas and Olympus for once.
From Percy to Wednesday to Cairo
Here's the slightly surprising bit: Angela Robinson has been tapped for the creative team. If her name rings a bell, she's directed for Netflix’s Wednesday and written for True Blood and How to Get Away With Murder. The source doesn’t actually say if she’ll be running the show, directing, or just penning the scripts—it’s a bit vague. Still, getting someone who can balance creepy monsters with teen angst seems pretty perfect for Riordan’s world.
- Angela Robinson: Directed episodes of Wednesday, wrote for How to Get Away With Murder and True Blood
- Development at Disney: Confirmed, but with no cast or crew updates yet
- Series will adapt the three Kane Chronicles novels (not films)
From Netflix Limbo to Disney Fast-Track
This one’s been bouncing round the development circuit for years. Back in 2020, Netflix announced plans to adapt The Kane Chronicles as feature films, but nothing actually happened. Eventually the rights landed back with Riordan and his wife, Becky—who then started shopping the series elsewhere.
Fast-forward to 2024: 20th Television snagged the rights. So now it’s officially a Disney project, following on from the success of Percy Jackson and the Olympians (which premiered on Disney+ in late 2023). If you’re catching up, Disney’s already committed to a third Percy series premiere for 20 November 2026—so clearly, they’re not done with magic teens just yet.
Disney+ is already home to two seasons of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, with a third season planned for 20 November 2026.
No firm word yet on who’s starring, when it will shoot, or whether Riordan himself will be typing up scripts (though he’s famously hands-on about these adaptations). Early days, but after a few years stuck in rights limbo, The Kane Chronicles is finally moving forward—and yes, it’s really happening on Disney+ this time.