The reason Percy Jackson films failed, according to screenwriter

First adaptation of the books Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010) was always highly criticized and only had one sequel, Percy Jackson and the Sea of ​​Monsters (2013). Screenwriter of the first film, Craig Titley gave his opinion on the reason for this failure.

It is worth remembering how the franchise will have another adaptation, this time in series format for the Disney+. During an interview with Varietythe writer commented on how the studio’s low investment (20th Century Fox) helped to reduce the quality of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and the continuation.

“[Tom Rothman, ex-presidente da 20th Century Fox] felt like marketing could sell a well-known book series, so why spend a lot of money? But the special effects are bad. There isn’t the advantage that the books had,” he stated. Because of this decision, some important moments in the books needed to be changed.

“After the cinematic experience, I basically left Hollywood on the sidelines for a long, long time,” he continued. “I really didn’t want to have anything to do with the industry. I spent many years saying, ‘I don’t want to get involved. I don’t want to think about other adaptations. I ended.’

But when it started to become clear that something was going to happen with me or without me, I had a long talk with Becky, my wife. We said, ‘Well, if something’s going to happen, it’s probably best to try one more time.’

A source involved in the first adaptation also cited the executive as a problem for the films’ problems: “The problem was Rothman. He was famous for making cheap films. So if Harry Potter is what you aim for, you are automatically harming the project.”