DISNEY+ CASTS TAMARA SMART AS 'THALIA' IN SEASON TWO OF "PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS"

Photo Credit: Disney/David Bukach

BURBANK, Calif. (September 23, 2024) - Demigods, the wait is over! Disney+ has officially announced that Tamara Smart ("Resident Evil") will join the cast of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" as the beloved character "Thalia Grace," daughter of the sky god Zeus. Smart will appear as a recurring guest star in season two of the epic adventure series, alongside series regulars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, Charlie Bushnell, Dior Goodjohn and Daniel Diemer.

Season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" is based on "The Sea of Monsters," the second installment in Disney Hyperion's bestselling Percy Jackson book series by acclaimed author Rick Riordan. "Thalia" is the Demigod daughter of Zeus who made her last stand to protect her friends at the edge of Camp Half-Blood. Rather than let her die, Zeus transformed her into a tree that anchors the force field that protects camp. Tough and prickly, with a rebel/punk sensibility, Thalia is fiercely loyal to her friends and distrustful of her father's world.

Riordan added, "Thalia Grace is one of the most important characters in the Percy Jackson universe, so the right casting was critical. Thalia is a powerful warrior, a fiercely loyal friend, and a demigod rebel with a very 'punk' / 'rage-against-the-machine' sensibility. As soon as we saw Tamara Smart play this role, we knew we had found our daughter of Zeus. She was, no pun intended, electric. Tamara puts the 'grace' in Thalia Grace!"

Smart's connection to the role of "Thalia" is especially poignant, as she previously worked alongside the late Lance Reddick, who portrayed Zeus in the first season of the Disney+ Original series. Coincidentally, Smart also played Reddick's daughter in that previous project. Reflecting on the connection, Smart shared, "I'm so grateful and excited to be joining the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It's so close to my heart. Lance Reddick and I always spoke about working together again, so it's that much more special and important to me to play his daughter once more as Thalia, and to keep his memory alive. I feel his presence all around me and strive to make him proud on this exciting journey."

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, Albert Kim, The Gotham Group's Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group's Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson.

From Disney Branded Television and 20th Television, production on season two of the Disney+ Original series is currently underway in Vancouver for a 2025 debut on Disney+. Meanwhile, the first season of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" is available on Disney+.

Through Sept. 27, new and returning customers can subscribe to a Blockbuster Offer of Disney+ Basic for $1.99/month for three months by visiting www.disneyplus.com.

Smart is represented by Gersh, ColorCreative, 42 in the UK and Shelby Weiser.

Instagram: @DisneyPlus, @PercySeries Facebook: @DisneyPlus TikTok: @DisneyPlus, @percyseries X: @DisneyPlus, @PercySeries Hashtag: #PercyJackson

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 general entertainment content brand, Star, and in the U.S., Disney Bundle subscribers can also access extensive Hulu content, including next day TV and Hulu Original titles, on Disney+. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from Disney, Disney+ offers 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 bundled offerings, including Disney Bundle plans in the U.S. that give subscribers access to Disney+ and Hulu or 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.

ABOUT 20TH TELEVISION

One of the Disney Television Studios, 20th Television is a prolific supplier of entertainment programming, including Hulu's most-watched comedy "Only Murders in the Building" from Steve Martin, John Hoffman and Dan Fogelman; the Disney+ hit series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" from bestselling author Rick Riordan and Jon Steinberg; and critically acclaimed limited series "The Dropout" starring Amanda Seyfried and from Liz Meriwether, and "Dopesick" from Danny Strong and starring Michael Keaton; ABC's award-winning hit comedy "Abbott Elementary" from Quinta Brunson, "Will Trent" starring Ramón Rodriguez; top network drama "9-1-1" in its new home at ABC and its spinoff, "9-1-1: Lone Star," at FOX from Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear; FX's hit "The Old Man" from Jon Steinberg and starring Jeff Bridges, its blockbuster series "American Horror Story" from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, and the "Feud" anthology series from Ryan Murphy; in addition to dozens of others. 20th Television shows have amassed a collective 2,040 Emmy nominations and 226 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."