Courtney B. Vance Replaces Lance Reddick as Zeus in PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS Season 2

Courtney B. Vance (The Hunt for Red October, The Preacher’s Wife) will take on the role of Zeus in Disney’s second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The role was originally played by Lance Reddick, who passed away shortly after production wrapped on Season 1.

Vance said in a statement: “I can’t tell you how excited I am to join the extraordinary cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians! There are few moments in an actor’s career when you can honestly say that you’re about to board a series that has such a devoted fan base filled with characters beloved around the world and is based on a wildly successful book series.

“I know that stepping into this role of Zeus will be a memorable experience and I’ll be giving my brother, Lance Reddick, who left us way too soon, a heavenly hug.”

Creator Rick Riordan said: “We are so excited and fortunate to have Courtney B. Vance join us as the King of Olympus — it is truly a gift from the gods!” said Riordan.

Showrunner Dan Shotz added: “The day we lost Lance Reddick, we lost an icon. Getting to work with this fierce and gentle talent in one of his last roles as Zeus in Percy Jackson and the Olympians was truly awe-inspiring.

“I felt so fortunate to watch this man stand tall on Mt. Olympus, but more importantly I felt lucky to be able to call him a friend. Finding someone to step into this role going forward was not an easy task, but when icon Courtney B. Vance answered the call, we knew the Gods were listening.

“This legend of cinema not only wanted to honor the books, but wanted to honor Lance’s legacy. We can’t wait for you all to see him take the throne.”

Season 2 will tell the story of the second book in the series, The Sea of Monsters. In the story, Percy “returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down.

“His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.”

The series stars Walker Scobell (The Adam Project) as the titular demigod, Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood), Leah Jeffries (Annabeth Chase), Glynn Turman (Chiron), Jason Mantzoukas (Dionysus), Dior Goodjohn (Clarisse La Rue), Charlie Bushnell (Luke), Adam "Edge" Copeland (Ares), Jay Duplass (Hades), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hermes), Timothy Omundson (Hephaestus), Lance Reddick (Zeus), and Toby Stephens (Poseidon).

When talking about Season 2 Scobell and Aryan Simhadri said, "It feels older.” Leah Jeffries added: "It feels more mature. It's definitely hyped up some."