BURBANK, Calif. (May 5, 2022) – Percy Jackson has found his fellow heroes. Aryan Simhadri (Disney's "Spin") and Leah Sava Jeffries (“Empire”) will play Percy's friends Grover and Annabeth, respectively, in the upcoming Disney+ original series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Simhadri and Jeffries will star alongside Walker Scobell who was recently announced to play the titular character in this epic adventure. A Disney Branded Television series produced by 20th Television, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" will start production soon in Vancouver.
Based on Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series by award-winning author Rick Riordan, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who's just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.
Aryan Simhadri stars as Grover Underwood - a satyr, half boy and half goat, disguised as a 12 year old boy. Grover cares deeply about others and will always choose what is best for them, sometimes at his own expense. Though cautious by nature, he’ll always throw himself into a fight to protect his friends, especially his best friend Percy Jackson.
Leah Sava Jeffries stars as Annabeth Chase. As a true daughter of the Greek goddess Athena, Annabeth is a brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind. After having spent the last five years at Camp Half-Blood, she longs to test her mettle in the human world, of which she barely remembers. She trains Percy to survive the mythological world, and in turn, he helps her connect with her humanity.
Riordan and Jon Steinberg will serve as writers of the pilot, and James Bobin will direct. Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner Dan Shotz. Steinberg and Shotz serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson and The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg.
About Aryan Simhadri
From commercials to Disney Channel star, Aryan Simhadri has had a whirlwind career spanning over 11 years which is especially notable given he’s just 15. This energetic and outgoing kid was scouted by Kids Acting School, ICT in OC at the age of 4 after moving to Irvine, CA. As he quickly fell in love with the art, his talents were first recognized in a Qualcomm commercial. From there his talent bloomed into multiple television roles over the next few years from ABC’s “How To Live With Your Parents(For the rest of your life)” to “Will & Grace”. He got his break in Movies with Netflix/WWE movie "The Main Event". Most recently he has been seen as the lead in Disney Channel’s original movie, “Spin,” the first to feature a South East Asian-Indian cast as the leads. He also just wrapped the filming of “Trevor: The Musical” after a successful run in New York.
Continuing to work on his craft, his improv skills were finely tuned when he was cast on Disney’s “Just Roll With It” where the audience chose what happened in the scenes, and the actors must “roll with it”. He has also extended his reach into voice-over work, where you can hear him in movies like “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run”. He also lends his voice to Paramount Television’s “Adventures in Wonder Park” as ‘Banky’ and most recently, the role of ‘Tiffany’ in the award winning “Adventure Time” series television movie “Distant Lands” and Disney's "Mira, The Royal Detective"
Still living in Irvine with his parents, his passion for the work, as well as meeting his fellow cast and crew members, radiates more every day, and he shows no signs of slowing down. As an amateur magician, Aryan has a few surprises up his sleeve for 2022, as he also stars in the Disney+ reboot of “Cheaper By The Dozen” alongside Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union.
He is represented by Paradigm, Industry, and Matt Rosen at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
About Leah Sava Jeffries
Leah Sava Jeffries was born in the Metro Detroit area and started her career appearing in local commercials when she was a mere three years old. Since then, Leah has appeared alongside Taraji P. Henson in FOX’s “Empire”, as Lil Rey Howery’s daughter, ‘Erica’ on the FOX comedy, “REL”, and in the TD Jakes-produced Lifetime Television Network film “Faith Under Fire.” Her upcoming projects will include the Universal Pictures thriller, “Beast,” opposite Idris Elba, as well as the Amazon Original, “Something from Tiffany’s” from Hello Sunshine.
Jeffries is repped by The Osbrink Agency, M88 and Fox Rothschild.
About Disney+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the new general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers commercial-free streaming alongside an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney's long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service or as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
About Disney Branded Television
Disney Branded Television encompasses the creative storytellers and production and content marketing teams responsible for Disney-branded television series, movies and other programming spanning live-action, animated and unscripted formats. The group fuels the Disney+ streaming platform and Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior linear networks with content geared toward kids, tweens, teens and families, with stories that are imaginative, aspirational and reflective of their world and experiences. Recent projects include "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," "Monsters at Work," "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and "Marvel's Spidey and his Amazing Friends." Disney Branded Television has created some of the most iconic and award-winning properties and franchises, including Peabody Award winners "Doc McStuffins" and "The Owl House"; Emmy Award winners "Big City Greens" and "Elena of Avalor"; the beloved "Mickey Mouse" cartoon shorts plus the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) franchise, comprised of more than 100 titles.
About 20th Television
One of the Disney Television Studios, 20th Television produces such significant series as Hulu’s comedy hits “Only Murders In The Building” and “How I Met Your Father,” critically acclaimed dramas “The Dropout” and “Dopesick;” ABC’s breakout comedies “Abbott Elementary” and “The Wonder Years;” FX’s blockbuster franchise “American Horror Story,” “Mayans MC” and “The Old Man;” NBC’s top series “This Is Us;” FOX’s No. 1 drama, “9-1-1” and its spinoff “9-1-1: Lone Star” as well as dozens of others. 20th Television shows have amassed a collective 1867 Emmy nominations and 214 Emmy wins, as well as multiple Golden Globes, Humanitas Prizes and Peabody Awards. The studio’s landmark series from its 70 year library include such classics as “Batman,” “Modern Family,” “M*A*S*H,” “Glee,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Bones,” “Empire,” “Fresh Off The Boat,” “24,” “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “New Girl” and “The X-Files.”
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