'Percy Jackson' book series is being developed into a TV series for Disney+

Logan Lerman plays Percy in 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters' (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox)

Fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will have new content to watch for and be excited over. The book series' author Rick Riordan, together with his wife Becky, announced on Twitter that a new series based on the books is in the early stages of development for Disney+. He said in a follow-up statement, "We can't say much more at this stage but we are very excited about the idea of a live-action series of the highest quality, following the storyline of the original Percy Jackson five-book series, starting with The Lightning Thief in season one. Rest assured that Becky & I will be involved in person in every aspect of the show."

Percy Jackson books follow Percy's adventures, who is a demigod that discovers he's the son of a human mother and the Greek god Poseidon. The books The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters were turned into feature films by 20th Century Fox, which was acquired by Disney last year. But so far, there's no indication that those involved in the movies are part of the series.

Source: Variety

Jango Fett actor Temuera Morrison rumoured to play Boba Fett in 'The Mandalorian'

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Temuera Morrison goes from playing the famed bounty hunter's father in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones to being the said bounty hunter in the upcoming season of Disney+'s The Mandalorian. The Hollywood Reporter cites sources that say Morrison will play Boba Fett, who first appeared on the big screen in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and then seemingly died in the last film of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi. 

Boba Fett will reportedly only have a small role in the second season. His appearance was teased in "The Gunslinger" episode of season one, where his trademark spurs were seen approaching the apparently lifeless body of Ming-Na Wen's character Fennec Shand. If his appearance happens, we aren't sure yet what will happen. The wait is also a bit long as the second season is slated to arrive on Disney+ in October.

Disney moves up the 'Hamilton' release a year early, as a Disney Plus-exclusive

Disney was all set to release its recording of hit stage musical Hamilton in theatres on October 15, 2021. But Disney has decided to bump up the release to this year, specifically July 3, 2020, and it'll be exclusively released on Disney+. It's a significant move for the company since it effectively cancels the theatrical run for the recording. Disney reportedly paid a record-breaking US$75 million for its worldwide rights. 

But as The Verge points out, this move also emphasizes how much Disney needs to have content on Disney+ right now to keep customers interested in the streaming service. Some of its most hyped original shows had to shut down production because of COVID-19, so aside from the October release of The Mandalorian's season 2, Disney needs new, popular titles to keep current and potential subscribers interested. One other film coming exclusively to the streaming service is Disney's adaptation of Artemis Fowl.

Taika Waititi will direct, co-write a new 'Star Wars' film

Image courtesy of Lucasfilm/Disney

Academy Award-winning director Taika Waititi is crossing over to another big Disney-owned franchise as he's set to direct and co-write an upcoming Star Wars film. In case you didn't know, Waititi is known for directing Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor: Ragnarok and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder film. He's actually also worked in the Star Wars universe when he directed the season finale of The Mandalorian.

Waititi will co-write the film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who worked on Oscar-nominated movie 1917. It isn't known yet what the film will be about, but it's going to be released in theatres. There will also be a new Star Wars series coming to Disney+ that is in development from Russian Doll writer Leslye Headland. Disney and Lucasfilm haven't divulged when these projects will be launched.

Source: Star Wars