Lin-Manuel Miranda Joins Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series as Messenger God Hermes (2024)

Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to play a Greek god!

The Hamilton creator, 42, will guest star as messenger god Hermes in the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Disney+ announced on Monday.

The network shared two photos of Miranda posing on the set of the series on Twitter.

The caption read, "A message from the messenger god himself: @Lin_Manuel Miranda is Hermes in #PercyJackson and the Olympians, an Original series coming to @DisneyPlus!"

In the series, which are based on Rick Riordan's best-selling novels, the Tony, Emmy and Grammy award winner will guest star as Hermes, "the messenger god who looks out for travelers and thieves and is a bit of a trickster himself," according to a description from Disney+.

"He is charismatic & boisterous, the life of the party," the description continues. "Unfortunately, his charm does not do much to heal his strained relationship with his son, Luke [Charlie Bushnell]. He's hesitant to help Percy [Walker Scobell] and his friends on their quest as sometimes getting involved is more trouble than it's worth."

Riordan opened up about working with Miranda on the Percy Jackson set on his website.

"It's always wonderful when someone so multi-talented and wildly successful turns out to be also a genuinely nice and decent person," he shared. "Lin-Manuel is that kind of guy."

The author added that Miranda was his first choice for the role of Hermes.

"Once we'd written the script and had Hermes' lines, I could not get Lin-Manuel Miranda's voice out of my head," he revealed. "I knew he would be the perfect person to bring Hermes to life in all his complex glory. I figured it was a long shot. Lin-Manuel is a busy guy!"

He continued, "But with our show runners' encouragement, I sent him a note saying, 'Hey, you ever felt like being a god for a couple of days?' To my delight, he was excited to join the Percy Jackson family. His son even provided him with some background reading on Hermes to prep him for the part. I love junior Classicists!"

Produced by 20th Television, Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who is coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers. After the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt, Percy must trek across America to find the bolt, clear his name and restore order to Olympus.

In April 2021, Riordan announced on his website that Scobell had been cast in the title role.

Scobell — who has "seen both movies and read all the books" in the Percy Jackson saga — told PEOPLE in January that he had a mix of emotions when he learned of his casting.

"I was really excited, but I was a little bit nervous too. I didn't want to let anybody down, you know?" he said. "It's a massive fanbase."

In a video announcement on Disney+'s Twitter in January, Riordan revealed that an adaptation of his beloved Percy Jackson book series had been greenlit for a television show at the streaming service.

"The wait is over, demigods," Riordan said in the clip. "I am thrilled to be the first to tell you that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is really, truly, and for sure coming to your screens. The smart folks at Disney+ have given us the green light."

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Riordan also shared that James Bobin would be directing the pilot episode. Bobin previously directed 2011's The Muppets and the 2019 live-action film, Dora and the Lost City of Gold.

"James is a terrific person and also an incredibly talented director who recently directed the pilot for Disney+'s The Mysterious Benedict Society," he said. "James knows the Percy Jackson books well — his kids are fans — so we're in great hands."

"Thanks to all of you for your excitement about the series," Riordan finished. "It's gonna be great."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently in production, but is expected to premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2024.