NEW PERCY JACKSON CAST ANNOUNCEMENT || WELCOME ANNABETH AND GROVER TO THE DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY

[@andreaochoacordova9790]

I'm totally up for calling the new show "Percy Jackson (Rick's Version)" from now on.

[@julia-ur4gv]

rick is really pulling a taylor swift

[@Khyathi_Gnan]

Swiftie demigods unite

[@julia-ur4gv]

@@Khyathi_Gnan yesss yesterday was such a big day for us!!

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

Rick's version, not book version

[@maple_latte2669]

@@theanimeunderworld8338 ohhhh🤔🤔 interesting I like this 😂

[@mt0881]

Let's all agree to not harass or hate the girl who plays annabeth. Let's just give her a chance she did nothing wrong

[@victoria_rico03]

Exactly! I'm sure she'll be amazing in the role!

[@thatdamfangirl]

Exactly! Do not hate on Leah!

[@shiloilo]

yeah!

[@paulkofler519]

I really hope that she doesn’t get any hate, I really pray for that. But I’m still against the choice of casting her as Annabeth

[@thatdamreader8867]

@@thatdamfangirl same but I let down

[@depressed_CoffePot]

I do have a hard time seeing Leah as Annabeth just because I have been picturing Annabeth as a blonde white girl for YEARS now but you know what I trust our troll king Riodarn with his judgements. Plus Leah is absolutely gorgeous and the photo of her in the yellow top is EVERYTHING. So excited for the show to come out! 🤩

[@pyxlimage743]

What I said but in fewer words😅

[@AS...15]

I don't know if i can even see her as annabeth. It just not the appearance. They changed her whole race. How wrong a person can get a character. There is not a single similarly on appearance basis

[@MAGA54]

You are a Woke Leftist Liberal Dummy 🤣 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@noemiepace9020]

@Mega Yanmega To me the iconic trait were they eyes. They always described her eyes as stormy grey, and that's what made her terrifying lol. I mourn white Annabeth simply because I'm so used to her but there is no reason for me to not accept Leah Jeffries as her TV version. I just kinda hoped they would give her the eyes, same with basically every character actually, the eyes are always the most important part. But they confirmed the actors won't be wearing any wigs or contacts 🥲

[@lucyb3701]

@@noemiepace9020 *No hate* You don’t have to mourn white Annabeth. Annabeth will still be described in the books as tanned with curly blonde hair and grey eyes. You can still picture her with that description in the books, and enjoy Leah as Annabeth at the same time. They can both co-exist, and you can see the Annabeth you love in both of them.

[@irissu02]

One casting I’m curious about is Luke’s one because kind of strangely he’s still one of my favorite character, not that I like him but he’s a very interesting well flesh out character, a vilain that make sense (and I do want to see the « mentor » scenes at the start of the book)

[@Sir_Mangoz]

Nah bruh, he going to be black

[@chidaluokoro9104]

He might be this actor sunny suljic

[@itsproof2]

@@chidaluokoro9104 No 💀

[@chidaluokoro9104]

@@itsproof2 yes

[@caihtexdekruyter6236]

I want to see Rudy Pankow. He’s 24 and was the older brother in Uncharted. Fantastic morally gray character/older brother figure. He’s also 6ft so perfect for being imposing as Kronos!

[@kristinapetrovic1741]

"Are people from 2009 already 12?" I felt this. Hard. On the series note, I'm super excited to see these actors in action and hope they have fun :)

[@giulial5011]

13 as well if they are born before May

[@Rosebud_XD]

13 lol yes we’re teenagers now

[@0_ello_010]

13 yo 2009 gang >:)

[@giulial5011]

well I am born in 2004 and I am feeling my age rn because my birthday is today and I am officially an adult. 18! Cannot believe it!

[@kristinapetrovic1741]

@@giulial5011 Happy birthday :)

[@asmitarai1224]

I am really looking forward for the character of luke and Sally

[@Sir_Mangoz]

There’re all going to be black

[@potatogaming7044]

Same

[@eshaalzoreed]

I just wanna see the famous ✨Underwater kiss✨

[@Error_fandom_overload]

Same

[@JustMe-xp6pl]

@@eshaalzoreed I wonder how walker and Leah feels about that

[@delaneybenlon6106]

I don't know how I feel about the fact the cast doesn't look like their discription I think I'll love them enough it won't matter but I'm scared I won't be able to stop think about it I'm afraid the fact my mental pictures are so different will mean I'll get stuck and not be able to fall fully into the story

[@Sir_Mangoz]

Ye, it’s kind of sad how you won’t be able to see things how you represented them tho.

[@wewuzvikangz394]

Same here. For years they were pictured in my head exactly how they looked in the official artworks and descriptions. Idk how I feel about this. But i like getting surprised so we’ll see if this actress can pull off playing Annabeth.

[@agenttheater5]

Some time after the first Harry Potter movie came out (possibly after the second one came out as well), I saw the 1999 BBC miniseries of David Copperfield starring Daniel Radcliffe and Maggie Smith. I later listened to the full audiobook of David Copperfield and pictured him as the actors I'd seen in that miniseries. And the same happened when I was 11 and actually read the entire book. And yet when I saw the poster for the 2019 movie 'The Personal History of David Copperfield' and saw Dev Patel on the cover, I felt I could still see David Copperfield. That movie made many, MANY changes to the plot line, but I found myself enjoying it in spite of all those changes. And regardless as to the race of the actors, I could still see the characters I'd known for years in their performances. Neither adaptation lessened in my eyes based on either of them. If you don't get stuck on one image of a character and don't get stuck on the fear that you'll be disappointed and might not see the characters in the actors performances, you may find yourself enjoying their performance and believing that they are those characters. Enjoy your mental pictures as if they were actors in an earlier adaptation, and enjoy the performances these teenagers will give in their own adaptation.

[@Leeno254]

This !!!

[@gem832]

What did you think it was going to be like ? And from what quotes in the story ?

[@wildmoonchild9404]

It’s not that I have an issue with a black actor/actress at all, it’s just that Annabeth is described with a tan, blonde hair, and grey eyes. I’m sure she will be amazing, but it’s going to be a little jarring

[@thatdamfangirl]

That's exactly how I feel!

[@shiloilo]

i can see that, but it’s great black little girls will get to see strong leads that represent them in media and television, so it’s kinda a bigger issue then accuracy

[@cabinnumber3camper997]

No one’s gonna have tanner skin than her

[@Melanie-jy2nw]

Honestly, I was taken aback at first but that pic of her was so annabeth and I was like, yes! I think once you see her in the role, you’ll see her as the annabeth you imagined! Rick chose her so she’s going to be great! But I get it, we have this image of her from years of fan art and stuff

[@Melanie-jy2nw]

@@shiloilo I agree, this type of representation is awesome! Especially when annabeth and perhaps later, hazel (if we get to hoo) defy all the black women steretypes that have been depicted for years on tv. It’ll be great for kids to see them and look up to them.

[@zammyr6807]

It's time already to stop labeling people "racist" just because they don't like who has been casted as a character that has been described for ages totally different from the actors. Yes, it's stupid to blame them and I really hope people don't bully these young actors who are kids!!! BUT, I'm sure they just did this for nowadays pressure to have representation, which I totally support, just not the way they did it. Rick has already written a lot of characters from different backgrounds, they didn't have to change a character we've known for almost 20 years now (I think) just to fit a certain social requirement. Can you imagine if they did the kane chronicles and carter was fair? Or Frank not Asian Canadian? I'd rage!!! It seems like we can't complain about these things without people immediately telling us we're bad people. I really hate that they changed a character I love so much just because they want to seem inclusive when they could've done it any other way with the rest of characters that appear in these books. I was really excited about the show but with this my expectations have lowered. Edit: let this be a space where people can disagree about something without idiots being idiots. If you agree, comment in another comment that agrees with the casting, if not, see you never alligator!!!!

[@MamadNobari]

I'm not racist, I sided with and defended Chris Rock when Will Smith slapped him.

[@agenttheater5]

is it impossible that Rick picked Leah because he genuinely felt that she would give the best performance of Annabeth regardless of her appearance?

[@fawnedon]

you are very annoying. annabeth's ethnicity and race aren't really relevant for her character as opposed to frank, whose ethnicity and race ARE really relevant for his character so your comparison made 0 sense. annabeth's appearance wasn't "changed to fit a social requirement", rick just chose based on how she was able to portray annabeth, not how she looks, it's clear the girl is really talented. also nobody gives a fuck what you thought about the will smith situation; you are just saying lots of things that are wrong. i'm not calling you racist but this certainly is an odd reaction to have only because its a black girl. as i've said before, annabeth's race, ethnicity and/or looks have never been really relevant to her character, aside from the gray eyes but that's easily fixable, so i don't know why you're so upset about it.

[@zammyr6807]

@@agenttheater5 I'm not questioning the actors' skills. I'm questioning the decision to change a character to look inclusive when there was no need to, as pj's world is probably one of most diverse book series out there.

[@masonguthrie1257]

@@agenttheater5 the problem is as good as her acting probably is she will never be able to completely fulfill the roll so Rick basically gave her an impossible task.

[@demigodmireya9998]

Walker is perfect for Percy obviously. Aryan looks so sweet. And Leah looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm actually proud of the casting!

[@nqvztt.]

i didnt know u watched her too :D

[@demigodmireya9998]

@@nqvztt. I watch almost every PJO channel. Lol

[@nqvztt.]

@@demigodmireya9998 lol

[@MacCrysAlot]

Nice pfp

[@pippinthehedgehogs]

Lol hiii

[@gems_acc]

I just hope they give them the right descriptions as in the books. It won’t bother me too much, but the actress for Annabeth would look *SO* 👏🏻 *PRETTY* with blonde hair and I hope they give Walker contacts and dye his hair

[@lillysbookcase9682]

She really would look gorgeous blond. And that for me was always her most important description because I could then have a character that was a blond and wasn’t portrait as stupid. I don’t really care about her skin tone but I would like her do dye her hair blond just like I’m assuming Percy’s actor will dye his hair black.

[@anonx4318]

She’s worn blonde braids before, and probably will want to again

[@lillysbookcase9682]

Thanks for the information, I’m even more excited now.

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

And if they don't?

[@izarose1133]

I agree I don’t care about her skin tone I just kinda hoping she gets blonde hair because one of the reasons I loved Annabeth is because she didn’t follow the dumb blonde cliche’ though I’m ok if the actress doesn’t do that.

[@marleymarss]

On one aspect, I did read first 5 books years ago and right away, the books were very descriptive about what characters look like and so forth. So it has been in our book minds of what these characters look like (to each of our own interpretations, slight variations) for years and whom we have grown up with even. As well their personalities over time of the characters gradually changing. So in a way, I think we really can't disregard book readers to just be oh get over with it and such. As I'm pretty sure there was a time when there was a book you loved being adapted into a film medium and not exactly who you envisioned it in your mind. It's going to take some time to get use to. As some book readers (not all of us) will find it hard to adjust with the casting choices for any of the characters. It's a jerk reaction of not expected this and that. However though from another perspective, the actors displaying the characters' personalities is important as well to the point hopefully we'll see oh yeah that's Percy or Annabeth and so forth. And hopefully these young actors are picked for the job because of the potential that the director/directors and writers saw of the character interpretations. With good reasons and not because of a checkbox. I have seen many casting choices of actors being picked for a role only because so and so fit the diverse checkbox and not for the acting ability. Basically only being used and not valuing any actors' abilities. So in some way, it should be a concern, a perspective you can say. As It has happened numerous times and especially these recent years. Not only for their acting skills, it's essential that the main cast actually has a good chemistry to each other from an acting perspective. If there is no good or lack of chemistry, then a show falls apart. Who honestly knows if this show will be good. Just because Rick (he does seem far more happier though and good to see the man be excited for a project he's involved in) is more part of the process and he has more say, doesn't automatically mean the show is in good hands. We need to think and hope everyone involved in this project are not only fans themselves, but have passion for the world and its characters for the show to really work. As it is still very early with the show so far. And I hope that this Percy Jackson show will be close enough to the source materials, the story, the themes, and the characters. Sorry if I said too much.

[@wewuzvikangz394]

Your absolutely right. Just because some of us longtime fans disagree with the casting choice doesn’t mean we’re racist or anything. It’s just that we’ve always pictured Annabeth as a white blonde girl for more than a decade. Them doing this kinda feels like forced diversity. But who knows. Maybe this show will be great and the actors will nail it. Since Rick is involved, I’m sure the show will be great. Only time will tell

[@michaeldemiurgos1]

You're absolutely correct. It's not about being racist, we just wanted a Book accurate serie.

[@kyrgiosrodgraim]

well said 👏🏼 personality, chemistry, passion, those are the extremely crucial

[@bascoindenial2736]

It's so hard to explain this when characters are race-swapped from caucasian to another ethnicity - The Last Airbender film was railed for portraying asian and Inuit cultures as white, with some even criticizing the Fire Nation's change from Japanese to Indian, but for some reason it's racist here. Maybe try sticking to the source material - if the ethnicity of a character is just never mentioned in the book, then who cares what the audiences preconceived notions were? But Annabeth was specifically portrayed on the cover of House of Hades and described elsewhere as having a particular appearance ("tan skin, grey eyes, and blonde hair"), so why change it? Still excited though, lol

[@agenttheater5]

Well since the filming hasn't even started yet we have no way of knowing what their chemistry will be like together or whether or not they'll give a good performance. We would've faced that risk that there would be bad performances or lack of chemistry no matter who they'd casted, because sometimes that happens. This show always had just as much a chance of being disappointing as the movie was regardless of what the actors looked like. But since it hasn't been released yet, we have no way of knowing if it will be bad or not. So maybe we should wait and give the show a go before stating that they may only have been cast to fill a checklist box.

[@Shiiwata]

I'm excited to see who will be cast as the other kids, so far the casting looks good and rick seems to be happy about his choice as well, so who am i to question it

[@ingweking8748]

I am going to question this decision because i am not enjoying forced diversty

[@ingweking8748]

@Remi Wilkins But i care

[@psycho9815]

@@ingweking8748 the actor for percy is not exactly accurate either because parcy is supposed to have messy jet black hair,a Mediterranean complexion(greek tanned skin) and sea green eyes and yet non of you are complaining about that which is why no one can take you seriously when you're nitpicking who to complain about

[@JordanC100]

@@psycho9815 I’ve been complaining about that. It makes no sense because they’re going to hire someone for Poseidon that’s got a darker skin tone yet have Percy be white like that? Makes no sense and this casting is just a mess so far.

[@psycho9815]

@@JordanC100 if people were not just focusing on the black girl alone i wouldn't say anything but they seem to only care about the black girl only

[@LivesInHerBooks]

See you guys later after I binge watch every movie/tv show these people are in so I can do something while I wait for this show to come out! ….after I do my homework…right

[@killajule8108]

Imagine the uproar if they made a clearly black character white.

[@fox7804]

It would be insane and the actor and everyone involved in the casting would get canceled and death threats but in this case we have to just accept it and be okay with it because if anyone says anything negative about it then they get ripped apart by the fandom, I don’t hate the actress who got casted and it’s not her fault and I’ll give the shot a chance but I don’t think it was the right call.

[@psycho9815]

@@fox7804 i think that's fair....as long as people don't harass a f**ken child am good

[@kiaragreen9406]

There's a difference between representation and racism/ignorance. Every black character that we see(from white to black or in general) gives representation to people who never saw themselves onscreen at all. Changing those characters to white takes that away. Even now we don't really see black characters in shows/movies just as black characters, they always have to explain their culture to others and that goes for other races as well. This is just an explanation, not to be rude.

[@LioncubFuzz]

@@fox7804 y’all realize that a white character becoming black isn’t the same as a black character becoming white.. right?

[@fox7804]

@@LioncubFuzz how so, please educate me on how changing a race of a character isn’t the same

[@justanothercat7080]

The attitudes of the characters are so perfect, even though they aren’t absolutely book descriptions, I love them so much!💖 I think the reason more people are going to accept the differences in looks, is for two reasons. The actors have some of the best personalities for the characters, and the plot and other features are going to be overall better. I personally didn’t mind Annabeth’s brown hair until they screwed up the plot and her attitude. I can definitely say that won’t be the case here.

[@spidercat5893]

Annabeth’s casting was far from perfect. She may have the personality, but a deciding factor for me was the looks. Annabeth was specifically white and blonde. I may seem racist, but I’m not. This is one of my all time favorite books series and my standards were set high. It was very specific in the books. I mean, there are so many actors out there that could end up fitting the role. I don’t know who, but there is a wide range of white and blonde girls in the filing industry

[@LioncubFuzz]

@@spidercat5893 Lucky for you, Rick said the exact opposite and said he didn’t care about looks. Looks can be easily manipulated with wigs, etc etc. it’s not that big a deal

[@veneraliaa]

@@LioncubFuzz HELP LMFAO FR

[@potatogaming7044]

@@LioncubFuzz making someone’s skin look white is Racist, the wigs aren’t that big of a deal, the looks in general being manipulated is not the best idea.

[@LioncubFuzz]

@@potatogaming7044 Not the skin, that’d be whitewashing. I meant eyes and hair, and even then the actress doesn’t needa do that if she doesn’t want to 🤷‍♀️ so tru it would be sus

[@getinthecellar]

What a lot of people are saying, and that I completely agree with, is that it actually makes a lot of sense for annabeth to be black, in the books she talked about how people didn’t expect her to be smart because she’s blonde, because when the lightning thief was written in 2005 the dumb blonde stereotype was still very much a thing, but it’s not anymore, like now in 2022 if you said ‘she’s blond and she’s really smart’ people wouldn’t find that hard to believe, but a stereotype that still does exist and needs to be tackled is the stereotype that black girls aren’t smart, or beautiful or they can’t be the main love interest and that’s why it’s so important that they cast a black actress as annabeth, so that all kids, especially young girls of colour, growing up and watching this can see her, being incredibly intelligent, beautiful and strong

[@leiaelkins5656]

And this would make a bit more nuance for Annabeth to be jealous of Rachel later on, instead of it being just "I'm jealous and angry"

[@JoeyWitter]

This comment made me think about it in a completely different light! I was skeptical because I remember how Annabeth felt like everyone deserted her and I didn't want her to be stereotypical like that. Just like how in the movies they cast a black actor as Grover. There's nothing wrong with that except Grover is kinda the servant/slave/dobby kind of character. But I think I'm coming around to and actually starting to be excited about Leah as Annabeth. Hopefully she's a good actress.

[@juliaowens4566]

This is such a good point! I totally forgot about Annabeth getting stereotyped because of her hair color and you’re right, that’s really not a common stereotype at all anymore. The racial perspective will be a fresh take and the actress will be a really important representation to young women, regardless of skin color (but also, especially to young POC)

[@diazisbaby1916]

Totally agree!

[@bendover7841]

you're racist

[@Crazy_Peanutz]

I have no problem with representation in books or movies. But if you have a non-binary character or an Asian character in a book, I imagine them as that. Same with Annabeth, many people have an image of her that's ingrained in their minds and then seeing something completely different is very puzzling and many are going to show resistance to this new Annabeth. I thought when Rick said he was making the adaptation more book appropriate I thought that applied to the characters, but apparently not. My point is, if he had no worries completely changing the main characters then why should we expect he's not going to change other things? It's not entirely because of this new casting, but the concerns I have for the future, that my hype, that was really high before, is definitely fluctuating. I'll just have to wait until the show comes out though.

[@arrowoftruth5726]

IKR... I'm worried next time they'd say Nico isn't gay and Rachel is asexual. Maybe a Chinese girl for Hazel and an Arabian guy for Frank... How weird is this going to get? Why can't they appreciate the characters for who they originally are? Why don't they understand this isn't about racism but yearning to see the characters for what we saw them as all these years?

[@cleetus_]

@@arrowoftruth5726 Hard agree :( still gonna watch all the series… but it won’t be the same

[@Crazy_Peanutz]

@@arrowoftruth5726 You're completely right. Percy Jackson is one of, if not the, most diverse children franchise ever. There are many diverse characters that are really fun and interesting. There's no need to "diversify" existing characters, instead they should focus on making the characters that are already minorities great.

[@bagel5056]

When Rick said book appropriate to characters, he meant how they acted + being appropriate age unlike the movies. He said that appearances weren’t exactly the problem (he didn’t have a problem with brown hair Annabeth) in one of his recent blogs about the casting And if you ask me, the ability to act/make the character come to life faithfully from the source material even if appearance is different is much more important

[@psycho9815]

@@bagel5056 the actor for percy kackson doesn't exactly look like percy either because percy is supposed to have messy jet balck hair,a Mediterranean complexion(i.e greek southern European tanned skin) and sea green eyes but i dont see anyone complaining about that which makes it hard to take the complaints seriously

[@K_Edits22]

I love how she said for Grover’s actor “ OoOo I can stalk him later!” Idk that got me laughing so hard

[@theclearestcrystal]

I was hesitant with the casting of Annabeth for a moment but once you showed her individual picture I changed my mind- that attitude fits her perfectly! Still disappointed we weren’t able to get a description match for Annabeth but I still think the actor is a good choice for her personality

[@shiloilo]

i’m just glad black girls will get to see themselves in a tv show where the black girl plays the main role and not just. a background or secondary character

[@theclearestcrystal]

Oh I’ve seen a lot of shows with black main characters?

[@shiloilo]

@@theclearestcrystal we still aren’t the majority, you can’t tell me there aren’t more white straight able bodied people in media then black people

[@theclearestcrystal]

Well that’s because it’s more common? You can’t argue that there have been a lot more black people in shows and more prominent roles now and I just wanted to say that it’s not really a problem anymore. Now you can still be happy ofc you have a right to your own opinion I’m not trying to say you can’t lol I just don’t like to focus on race is all

[@shiloilo]

@@theclearestcrystal it is still a big problem?? the majority of media is still white even outside of television idk what your on about

[@anusha1669]

i'll be honest im a little dissapointed bcs annabeth with blonde hair and grey eyes was a part of her character. mind u im poc from india and i would love to see what happens but one of the reasons why we didnt like the old movies was bcs of its innacuracy. annabeth being blonde and defying the "dumb blonde" stereotype was a part of her thing. im dissapointed but no hate to the ppl who were casted i hope they go great miles! i think we should make new poc characters instead of imposing them i'd love more representation but not like this.

[@kayk8y]

have u heard ANYONE say to a blonde person that they're dumb cuz their blonde?

[@tsunamidev]

exactly this. this is straight up blackwashing, she was even described in the book as white. every official art (comics) and most popular fanart is describing her as white. i wouldnt care for the change at all because the books have a big lack of diversity, but why do it to a character that part of her arc IS BASED ON HER APPERANCE?!?!?!? its nonsense to me, and i simply dont understand how rick approved it. maybe he was forced to? maybe he was scared of the lack of diversity? i know they will replace the "im blond so people think im dumb" thing with "im black so people are racist" and im genuinely pissed (i may be white, but also jewish, so ive known racism. try and judge my take with no relation to race)

[@ArvindRajAgnosticAtheist]

@@tsunamidev You got to be kidding.

[@tsunamidev]

@@ArvindRajAgnosticAtheist explain yourself

[@suda_lifts]

@@ArvindRajAgnosticAtheist he isn’t necessarily wrong. You already know how these modern shows have woke messages. And in my opinion if you’re gonna race swap a character than at least make the character different enough. Like how they did with nick fury in the mcu and comics. And same for miles morales. I don’t wanna see what they’re doing in she hulk in this tv show. But yeah I don’t hate the race swap I just don’t see her as annebeth.

[@ellaxedits]

OMG IM SO EXCITED!! even though it is a little disappointing that the characters aren’t exactly what they look like in the book I think they will be wonderful for the roles. also Rick said that it doesn’t matter what they look like as long as their good actors, so we can definitely count on their acting being great! And honestly to me thats all that really matters too

[@kimvarado7558]

You all are getting it wrong, they didn’t cast the kids because of appearance. Annabeth in particular, she got casted because of her personality & her talent. Rick said that himself. Simple as that. please stop the hate. Let’s just enjoy this show please ?

[@Suzumiya_]

YES to this!!! ❤

[@thesladesterb3vt3co7h]

Exactly. I feel like fans would eventually come around to Annabeth’s actress once they see the show.

[@killajule8108]

What I think is they probably decided to cast a black girl even before auditioning thereby not even considering white girls who probably had personalities that better matched Annabeth. Cuz you don’t make a decision like this just cuz an actor has a better personality or is better at acting, it’s to earn minority points and make pocs feel “empowered” (whatever that entails) to watch the show and increase its reach.

[@Fyrapan90]

Would you say the same thing if this was a white person getting the role of a black character? The internet would riot if this was the case so why the double standards? Why is it so hard to get an actor that resembles the character that is being described in the books in great details? She's the daughter of Athena so this make no sense. I've nothing against the actress she looks very talanted and happy to get the role, and maybe she will change my mind after I see the TV show but can we please stop with the racism card just because we disagree with a casting choice? Diversity is great as long as it servers the story well, and this being about Greek mythology it doesn't make sense in my eyes, especially as the books describe her in great detail that's relevant to her character and origin.

[@kyrgiosrodgraim]

For me, finding the right actors has never been about hair color, eye color, skin color, or any other single physical trait, even if they were described a certain way in the books. As many of you know, I flubbed such details myself several times in the series. Thalia’s eyes changed from green to blue. Oops! Annabeth’s hair was curly and then it was straight. Nico was described as olive-skinned, then later as pale. Blackjack even changed from a mare to a stallion over the course of two books. Whelp, not sure what happened there, but too late now! If I may invoke the Movies That Shall Not Be Watched, I know a lot of you cared deeply and were unhappy when Annabeth turned out to be a brunette rather than blonde, but for me, that was never the main issue. What mattered were that those actors, as talented and wonderful as they are, were WAY too old for the parts as I wrote them, and their age was central to the plot. What I want to see are age-appropriate actors who can embody the personalities of the characters, nail their voices and their sense of humor, and make you believe: “Yes, that is Percy. That is Grover. That is Annabeth,” even if they’re not exactly how the characters were described physically in the books. Again, that’s just my personal opinion and my approach. -Rick Riordan

[@GTrevise]

Tempted to post a mean comment so I can get a house visit from Celia. But I would be way too shy for that. Perhaps not what I pictured for the trio, but looking forward to see what they can do together.

[@benzz4109]

It is what it is man , let's just see what happens

[@GTrevise]

Oh, for sure. The proof will be in the pudding, as they say. A lot of the character behind the trio is their banter; so that's what I'll be looking forward to the most

[@masonguthrie1257]

@@Unclaimeddemigod I don’t care how open of a mind you have you cannot get passed the point that a core struggle that annabeth has is being the dumb blonde or cali girl aka white.

[@masontalarico7090]

I'm so happy that they casted a black girl for Annabeth not only because we'll get to see all the cute authentic black girl hairstyles that she'll do in the series, but I'll also get to watch the very people who nitpicked about Annabeth having brown instead of blonde in the movies completely turn around and defend Rick casting a black girl so they don't look racist😂😂😂This is going to be HILARIOUS!!!

[@crissywilson9611]

😭 omg facts

[@sageblast3143]

Not hating but this kinda feels weird ; ( I am brown so plz don't come at me with WP) One of the reasons I think a majority of the fandom was hyped for the show was because of " Book-accurate-portrayal". The hair and the eyes 👁️ : aren't an issue , all one needs is a wig and or contacts which is pretty cool. However, she may be a very bright and potent actor but however I feel the sole issue lies in the fact that Annabeth's traits are very definitive throughout the book and pretty much anyone involved in the fandom has been conditioned to believe that. That being said she does not deserve the racist comments passed. Blonde+Grey eyes + tanned skin + White skin . And frankly I am shocked that Rick has been involved here. Word says that 12000 girls were involved in the auditions and there were frankly more accurate portrayals. Also just asking how do you gauge a persons personality based off a single audition??? They are meant to be actors , personality traits are meant to be secondary not primary when auditioning for a role since well forming false personalities on set is what acting is about. Secondly , god forbid the show ends up like the movies... But if people find it to be lacking , Annabeths casting will be the first one to be attacked by a LOT of trolls ; even if she delivers a once in a lifetime performance : the casting choice will be attacked and the girl could go through some serious confidence issues in that aspect. Lastly I feel that Rick uses inclusion just to sell his books more frankly rather than make an effect. I feel that this recent stunt of his has exposed him cleanly. If he actually cared of inclusivity , he would legit have stuck to the Original char designs instead of pulling a 180 , if character appearances don't matter that much; why did he criticise the casting of the movies??

[@alyssar7477]

I totally agree with u and don’t come at me for what I’m about to say cuz I’m bad at words. Also sorry if I have lack of knowledge. I totally respect ur viewpoints and where u are coming from with all the explanations. I agree with you like yes we need inclusion within the series but I feel he could’ve done this in better ways like you explained. He could’ve easily provided us with a great actor with a better accurate description of annabeth (what we were conditioned to believe what she looked like in the books) and made a lot of the cast diverse. I personally think that there is a lack of authenticity in Annabeth character if they still try to make her look like she did in the books. If they throw a blond wig on her with the princess curls that Percy describes it would totally ruin the vibes and throw me off. I don’t think it would look right at all for her as a character. I mean maybe once I see it I can accept it but right now I really can’t see her with the blonde wig on having princess curls. Idk I hope this is understandable and not like hateful in anyway. I probably missed something I wanted to say but whatever

[@berengustav7714]

Her looks weren't the main problem,it's that the movie(s) told you she is strong with a sword and then she is weak through the quest,and aging and "sexing" them up to be cool and edgy.

[@deadly_deadzio]

Okay so first I have to say that I have nothing against the actress as a person and I don't want to hate on her, but if Rick wanted a book accurate series this is not the way to go. Wasn't it like a major point of her personality in the books, that Annabeth didn't want people to think of her as a usual dumb blonde and wanted them to see her as the intelligent girl she is? She could have totally be casted as Hazel, but no matter how good she can act, you can't just change the image of Annabeth the book readers had of her for years.

[@kayk8y]

untrue. plain simple. have u ever heard anyone say irl if ur blonde ur dumb? and watch leah will prove u wrong, when she acts i have faith in her that she can act like our annabeth. Not like that stupid annabeth from the dumb movies. and honestly, would u rather have her not look exactly like her and act nothing like annabeth, or the other way around? and we don't know much except her looks, and THAT'S what everyone is basing their hate on. . .one actor

[@berengustav7714]

The breaking sterotype only came up in Mark of Athena,ppl act like she says it every book...

[@helios9296]

Why is annabeth so hard to cast? The book go into detail on their appearance and ethnicity of the characters, so it is kinda annoying.

[@devoringdemonsoulq9086]

@@kenm2047 trash match

[@ichangedmyusernamebecausei2551]

Most of us are probably upset with the casting, such as me (i mean the books give each character a detailed descriptive of how they look), but we should not bully these actors. They’re just doing their jobs. Also they are just kids and bullying them like this can seriously mess them up. I mean look at young Anakin’s actor from Star Wars episode 1. I’ve been a fan of the Percy jackson books since I was 9 (I’m 19 now.) I read all 3 series based on Rick’s Greek and Roman mythology based books. I’ll still give this show a chance. Maybe I’ll like maybe I won’t.

[@theoeric2907]

Rick doesn't give a fuck about your opinions

[@gwen_d]

I don't think anybody is really bullying the actors :/ we're on people who did the casting

[@victoria_rico03]

First! Also, I honestly don't mind the casting for Annabeth. I was surprised, but I don't think it's bad. As long as Rick believes in her, I do too. I'm sure she'll do a great job!

[@Melanie-jy2nw]

@@InSearchof8 you do realize the minute he could do so without facing a backlash from the racist, he put poc in his books? So not a sellout, simply not a racist and literally made the books to give EVERY CHILD heroes to look up to (such as those with disabilities, poc, and the lgbtq). You don’t want to watch, good! We don’t want you!

[@folathomassobowale2519]

@@InSearchof8 he could have made the characters white and not receive any hate but he didnt because he actually cares about diversity

[@Melanie-jy2nw]

@Weeaboo Jones and the fact that they messed up the entire plot and aged up the characters lol Rick riordan even is on record saying that it wasn’t the physical appearance of the movie cast that pissed him off but the age of them. Bad take.

[@Melanie-jy2nw]

@Weeaboo Jones no that’s because the age is relevant to the plot. Annabeth’s race does not

[@Melanie-jy2nw]

@Weeaboo Jones no that was a minor aspect that is easily adapted and changed. After all, the dumb blonde stereotype hasn’t been used since the 2000’s and the black girls are uneducated stereotype remains. A prophecy that is fulfilled when the hero turns 16, after 5 books/movies/years, is a much bigger plot change. As is having Percy beat Kronos in movie 2. I’m starting to think you haven’t read the books lol

[@riduanaqil1452]

Disclaimer: im not hating on the actress Character wise, i had no doubt she can carry the Annabeth role, its just that we've grown up reading about Annabeth's appearance and how it effects her. Tho im open to change some stuff. Im okay with this casting but i cant say that it wont feel a little weird

[@YourQueenAli]

Just a heads up I am not being racist in anyway. I just wish that Annabeth looked like her in the books but I know as soon as I see her onscreen I wont care I also hope they dye Percy's hair but it will be fine either way I will just have to adjust so please unclaimed don't take my Olympians book set.

[@ifvet]

I agree. I don’t hate the actress, but it threw me off a bit

[@ifvet]

@@Sir_Mangoz okay your taking this the wrong way. It’s not that many of us hate she’s black, it’s that many of us are used to the Annabeth in the books being white. I will give the actress a chance, plus Rick picked her so I bet she’s gonna have Annabeth vibes. Some people need to get used to seeing the casting, which is okay. Yes it would have been nice for her to be blonde like in the books but, no hate for the actress because she was picked, and chances are she’s probably a great actress as well if she was picked for this role

[@thesladesterb3vt3co7h]

@@ifvet You’d be surprised at the number of people hating the actress and wishing she was “white” because “It’s woke and politically correct”.

[@Sir_Mangoz]

@@ifvet yeah that was a bit much

[@ifvet]

@@thesladesterb3vt3co7h Yeah. It’s annoying as hell… those people are racist. The people who are just tryna get used to the casting and don’t 100% love it right away aren’t racist though

[@1_ashe_144]

I cant believe this is happening! This is the most wonderful thing ever! Thanks for the upload!!!

[@bisahase1576]

Wasn’t Annabeths main motivation proving that she is a worthy daughter of Athena and not a dumb, blonde, Cali girl? I found so much comfort in that since I fight that battle for myself everyday in my stem job, and I am pretty salty abt that, ngl. On the other hand Rick said that her character fits Annabeth perfectly, so I am excited to see her challenge Percy and everybody else ^^ But pls don’t change her look, I’m getting war flashbacks from the second movie, and that half-assed dye job. They made that decision and should stick with it

[@waitwhat8293]

Although I absolutely see what you mean we can insert this trope onto our current annabeth as well! Black women have always been undermined because they're not seen as intelligent enough so I'd like to imagine (as a black woman myself and for the rest of generations) how she's a smart woman and most importantly a smart woc!

[@rhana9604]

@@waitwhat8293 Hey i was just wondering, is Annabeth described as white/fair-skinned in the books?

[@LioncubFuzz]

I def get wym but as the blonde stereotype has been dwindling, it’s not as prominent. The main thing about her story was misogyny (the blondeness was just one way of portrayal) and any type of woman can face misogyny. This will make little girls that look like her NOW the same way you did back then

[@bisahase1576]

@@waitwhat8293 I think that is a very smart idea, and they will probably do that, I was just concerned abt how much they would have to move around, and how much control Disney has over the storyline, as they are known to ruin a good trope sadly

[@bisahase1576]

@@rhana9604 I read the series again after Walter was cast, and she is described as a sun tanned blonde with stormy gray eyes. That bit is consistent throughout the books, the only thing that changed was her hair structure, and in only one book I believe, before it was curly again. It’s also the first thing Leo notices about her in Heros of Olympus, bc he is quite intimidated by the difference between her beachie blond girl looks and her fierce character. Or at least that is how it was translated into my language 😂

[@juliannaesposito6459]

Its not a bad thing that a black girl is playing Annabeth. But the main disappointment with the movies was that the actors looked nothing like their characters. this is even worse. annabeth should be played by a blonde haired, gray eyed girl. its not because this actress wont od well, but she is not the right look

[@joelpetersmedia]

I'm sorry but that is a bit of a tough pill to swallow. I obviously have nothing against the actors themselves and normally it would make no difference to me whether characters are black or white. Literally one of my favourite comedy shows of all time is Family Matters, where most of the characters are black, and it's great. But Annabeth...I just cannot see her black. Grover I can see, but Annabeth, no. Continuity and consistency is very important to me especially when moving a book to media, and this is nothing like how Annabeth is visualized. It is going to be exceptionally hard to adapt to seeing this show as the Percy Jackson universe my subconscious knows so well, and it's going to make getting invested in this show MUCH harder. I'm sure that she's a great actor and my final judgement will be left for the show itself, but...I just really can't accept it.

[@joelpetersmedia]

Also I know what Rick Riordan has said about book-continuity and how that isn't important to him, and I'm fairly confident that if Rick is happy with the role, she'll be a good Annabeth. But in my opinion, there is more than just the acting and chemistry to casting. Looks are important as it pertains to matching the character, and there is no resemblance of Annabeth in her actor. In our politically-correct society you'll often get flamed for it, but there is nothing rascist/sexist/whateverelseist about finding actors that match the right physical descriptions. Granted I should just be happy they haven't switched/removed genders from the characters yet

[@ieatleaves1242]

@@joelpetersmedia this is exactly how I feel. In some cases where the character's appearance is somewhat ambiguous im all for it, but seriously... I have absolutely no problem with the actress herself but if a character looks explicitly one way, why change it :/

[@maelysprrphoto]

@@joelpetersmedia I'm feeling the exact same way. I don't hate Leah, no, but I'm kinda sad that they don't really look like the official artwork and like they were describe in the books..

[@LioncubFuzz]

@@ieatleaves1242 cause the appearance wasn’t important to the character. Things can translate well with change, it’s not that deep. I think we’ll sleep at night 😭

[@joelpetersmedia]

@@LioncubFuzz I am inclined to disagree. How the character is visualized is an important element, it's a key part of how we connect with them. To drastically change the appearance like they are really disconnects all the fans of the book series, and that is exactly the market the tv series is aiming for.

[@theblack.paradeisdead]

I was a little annoyed with Annabeth's at first, just because I wanted the TV series to be very book accurate, but I honestly don't care anymore... She gives off so much Annabeth energy and it'll be such a good series!

[@the_irrelevant_fox]

Literally same. Also I love those green and blue hearts.....

[@theblack.paradeisdead]

@@the_irrelevant_fox Larry Stylinson 💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚

[@Tridentboy1998]

As a local East-Asian boy who grew up with the Percy Jackson book series, loves American culture, aspires to be a writer and actor in the Western film Industry, all the while being aware of Asians being some of the most poorly represented groups so far, I have always valued representation through originality, merging Western heroism with minority races while preserving the cultural context and nuances of the races the characters themselves come from. To me, that’s how representation truly makes a difference in bringing minorities into a positive light and helping them shine in the Western civilization, to which its media holds the most cultural influences over the rest of the world. From the perspective of a long time fan who views these established characters as living, breathing beings of flesh-and-blood, the point and first priority of adaptations is to bring these characters to life all the way from personalities to appearances, not either one or the other. If one is willing to show respect and accuracy toward actual historical beings, be it Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr., I would expect fictional characters with iconic physical traits to be brought to life in the same light, since even though both of them do (did) not exist in the physical realm, they still remain very much real and alive in the minds of their followers. Annabeth is not just any blonde girl to me, she is THE blonde girl. Her blonde hair is iconic, just like Superman is a tall muscular brunette white dude in red and blue, Bruce Lee is a skinny muscular Asian in yellow tights, and Muhammad Ali is a black boxer wearing American flags on his boxers. I don’t trust the whole finding the right actor to do the job narrative, since I have discovered the pattern where the male protagonist remains faithfully presented, while it just happens to be the female protagonists/ love interests that gets race-swapped, or in the specific term, black-washed, and to me, the right actor to do the job is one who acts the part AND looks the part. People aren’t mad that minority races are included in a series, they are mad that the image of their beloved characters are getting replaced, and African Americans, which just happens to be the largest minority group in the US, in turn the second largest racial group on the continent, just so happens to be the ones responsible for it, even though they already have distinct cultures and racial identities linked to the country’s history. To me, it just reinforces black people’s stereotype of taking something that isn’t theirs, that it is only by assuming the identity of a race historically deemed superior to them in the social hierarchy, forcing their cultures and identities onto not just American media, but also that of European and even Asian inspired works, in a way that’s getting very invasive compared to the less represented minority races, in order for them to gain validation and success Why is it that a character’s racial identity only matters when he or she plays the racial card? Woo-is-me, I’m black, poor, and discriminated! Woo-is-me, I’m white and my ancestors are colonizers! Woo-is-me, I’m Asian and suffer a terrible childhood because of my possessive, abusive parents! Why can’t a character be allowed to stay the way they are by just being who they are, without emphasizing on their identity crisis, insecurities and self-pity? If white characters are considered the default and replaceable hand me downs, because original characters, stories, and intellectual properties featuring other races are considered too much trouble to achieve the diversity that the industry strives for, doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of representation itself, to present their identity, culture, and ideologies before the rest of the world? That diversity is misread and reduced to pouring a bucket of black paint over existing paintings, simplified to be about how many non-white people there are, while it was actually built upon differences and contrast, the peaceful co-existence of appearances, identities, culture, and ideologies of various sorts? I disagree with Riordan’s decision to change up the core characters’ race after preserving distinctive physical traits for over a decade, the fact that he possesses the authority of the series creator is of little influence to my judgement. To me, a character’s existence is built on the combination of the shell, the soul, and the voice, the absence of either compromises the integrity of it all. (Mute ones being the exception) If recasting an existing character with different features changes the shell drastically, and so does changing something as simple as a person’s hair color, then so does switching up the character’s entire race, thus changing the cultural and family background, skin tone, and facial structures, resulting in misrepresentation and inconsistencies. I respect the author’s casting decisions regardless of my disagreements, though I will never be able to accept the results as the definitive versions of the characters I have grown up with for over a decade, not with the likes of the ones established by Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. It will always remain an adaptation and an adaptation alone, an alternate story set in a different universe and different medium, while the definitive representation and integrity of the characters remain in books, graphic novels and cover arts, as they may always be for the rest of my lifetime. The dreams of a faithful Percy Jackson adaptation is vanquished once again, and this time, it is the author himself that broke the very promise.

[@leilahussain9171]

The anti-blackness in this comment is so fucking appalling. This is why non-black people should shut their mouth and listen to black people when they talk about things. Y’all speak out of your ass and then wonder why black people can’t stand you. “The stereotype that African Americans take what isn’t theirs” you’re out of your mind to be saying that like actually

[@josiebarletter193]

Although I respect the casting decisions and I am interested to see how these kids will do portraying such important characters in our lives, I absolutely agree with you on feeling this is an alternate universe rather than a story faithfully brought to life. The future inconsistencies regarding culture will definitely be an issue especially if they decide to do a series with Magnus, Annabeth’s cousin who, like her, is caucasian with blond hair and blue eyes. I support the tv series and all the actors, but it really doesn’t feel like my PJO. It’s more like really expensive fan fiction.

[@optimysticpeaches]

You just put into words what I have been thinking, it’s like every time I try to say it, it sounds like I’m racist but I’m not, I just don’t really like the casting choices because that’s just not how they looked in the books and like you said, how everyone had visualized them for 15 years. It’s surprising and kinda disappointing, considering the author kept saying this was gonna be a good, *authentic* retelling of the story. Casting choices contribute to authentic, and Annabeth does not look like Annabeth. I’m sure she will do great and grow on me, but yeah it’s pretty disappointing.

[@zammyr6807]

This👏👏

[@Maxxburn101]

100 percent

[@thelongs357]

I want a white annabeth like in the book. No offense to the actor they chose though

[@domino4519]

Me who just finished taking an exam : WHAT IS HAPPENING ?!!?!?!? I was very happy

[@leomcshizzlepjocastdeserve1631]

My mom told me. She said "See you could have been Annabeth" I didn't want to audition at first because I thought they wouldn't cast a POC Annabeth. I did audition but late in the process. I'm so happy that the actress for Annabeth is a POC!

[@sodaroni_enthusiast]

@mike person of color

[@leomcshizzlepjocastdeserve1631]

@mike Person Of Colour

[@speedyturtleproductions7537]

That's so cool

[@any_me...LOL]

I'm seeing a lot of people who are angry about this casting. Does nobody remember Rick said anyone who wanted to audition could, so leave the kids alone. If they were cast, it's because Rick knows they're the best for the roles, who cares about the color of their skin or the color of their hair. I have no doubt that these kids will be spectacular in the roles. I can't wait to see these books come to life and the characters come alive in these children. ❤

[@mailyak442]

👏🏼👏🏼

[@victoria_rico03]

Yes! You took the words right out of my mouth! 👏👏👏

[@percyjacksoncomingtodisney4453]

exactly! i see some people acting as if white actors would have been best for the role as if poc actors can't do an outstanding job as well.. overall i'm satisfied and excited for this trio to appear on screen

[@chocolateblocks]

@@percyjacksoncomingtodisney4453 that is twisting their words entirely. who said that poc actors can't do a good job? they just think that it doesn't fit the character right since a distinctive feature of annabeth is that she's typical blonde girl look, ykno? no one ever said that poc actors/actresses cant do good lol

[@helios9296]

@@percyjacksoncomingtodisney4453 it's not that we don't think people of color are excellent actors, and it's not about race(I'm Guatemalian) the thing is we read about 10 book while picturing the character as the book describes it. Are you perhaps saying if they did a Michael Jordan movie, but they decided to make him Colombian or Chinese that would be ok.

[@andreaochoacordova9790]

Also: It's been like five hours since the announcement and we already have such great fanarts! Someone even has already made a "Tell me about New Rome" HOO's fanart 😭. I'm in awe with how great do they fit the characters. I remember reading a post in which it said the next casting processes are for Nancy and Clarisse (starring on 1 and 3 episodes, respectively). I think Clarisse's casting is the one that I'm most excited about right now. After that, I'm really hoping to see how are they going to manage the casting for the gods: is Athena keeping her gray eyes; is Artemis going to be a teenager or an adult actress; is Aphrodite going to be one actress or multiple people? I know those godesses are not 100% relevant in the first book/season, but I'm excited to know more about it anyway.

[@andreaochoacordova9790]

WAIT, NO. I just realised that if they want to have flashback scenes on the first season, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CAST THALIA!!! So yeah, if not Clarisse's, it is Thalia's casting the one I'm the most excited about.

[@lucyb3701]

Could you send me a link to that “Show me New Rome” art? I haven’t seen that one yet.

[@harrymassey5218]

Annabeth has blond hair and gray eyes it’s only said about seventeen hundred times throughout the series

[@folathomassobowale2519]

she can dye her hair blond

[@minniekim4809]

Grey eyes are pretty rare (at least as far as I know), I think Leah can get grey contacts and blonde box braids.

[@Sir_Mangoz]

@@folathomassobowale2519 She also looks nothing like her

[@kalebnolan8343]

And there goes my hopes for this attempt at Percy Jackson, Annabeth is described in great detail over the course of the books. I’m not hating on the kids, the kids are fine I’m hating on this “diversity” casting. I thought with Rick behind the reigns this would have hope but I’m already doubting it now

[@dumbasssupreme4022]

rick made it very clear from the beginning that he didnt give a shit about appearance when casting. he cared about talent and personality. these kids clearly impressed him and im happy for them and excited for their success. cope and seethe

[@kalebnolan8343]

@@dumbasssupreme4022 then he should close the word document and stop writing. There is zero consistency in race swapping characters if you want a true and loyal adaptation.

[@masonguthrie1257]

@@dumbasssupreme4022 except annabeth is the only character of the trio where her physical looks matter to her character so by changing them you are changing the character thus making her more different than her book counterpart.

[@thunderspikes4064]

To be fair. Annabeth’s description was that she’s actually darker skinned, but not black so I can see why people may have an issue. Wish she had the blond hair though to be honest, hope we get to see that in the movie at least and not repeat the mistake of the first movie.

[@dumbasssupreme4022]

@@thunderspikes4064 it is a tv show but i do think the actress will have blonde hair. there are pictures of her with blonde box braids

[@idontuseyt2150]

i LOVE the new cast. The only problem I have is the hair color of Walker and Leah, I can’t image Annabeth with black/brown hair or Percy with blond I just can’t I’m sorry 😩 (let’s hope they get wigs..) !Otherwise I feel like they would be great!

[@aksharpatel2803]

They don't need hair color change or wigs.

[@Shiiwata]

rick doesn't seem to care about such things, all he cares about are their acting skills

[@YuKaKariyu]

@@aksharpatel2803 In Annabeth's case, being blonde was a big part of her character background. So that would be the only real reason Leah would need a wig, unless they choose to work around that plot point somehow.

[@aksharpatel2803]

@@Shiiwata Acting skills are the most important.

[@aksharpatel2803]

@@YuKaKariyu Being blonde was not a big part at all considering it was brought up for 2 sentences in a book that is part of a different series.

[@ITZ_VIOLET_]

Ppl are down here hating on Leah and that’s not ok. In fact, it’s racist. Being blonde and white is not important to her character. She isn’t looked down upon for those reasons she is looked down on for being a girl. This is 2022 y’all, not some all white movie made in the 60’s. It want the brown hair that made Annabeth bad in the movie it was the writing and the acting.

[@Hillshehe]

Will it be okay for you if a black character is cast as white?

[@Fyrapan90]

Here we go again with the racist card... Can it just be that we want authentic actors that suits the story, and in this case being based on Greek mythology I'd imagine they would cast someone who is more believable of being the daugther of Athena the godess of wisdom, or you mean to tell me now that Athena was also black? I'm sure these actors are very talented and I wish them all the best and I have nothing against these kids, but would you say the same thing if this was reversed? Having a white person play a black character especially as a main character as well? No the internet would cancel culture this into oblivion. Why the double standards? I'm all for diversity as long as it makes sense for the story, but I don't agree with changing it just for the sake of diversity and not serve the story well like in this case. Anyway, we can't change this and we can only hope that they make it a good TV story but please stop with throwing out the racist card just because people disagree with the casting as it has nothing to do with racism.

[@ITZ_VIOLET_]

@@Fyrapan90 there is a problem with casting white ppl as other races but only because it’s often times done in situations that the race of the character matters. An example of this was casting all white ppl as the Puerto Ricans in the oh West Side Story(one of the reasons it was recreated to be less problematic). And your point about Athena makes no sense. Are you saying that there can’t be a POC goddess? I’m really trying to understand your reasoning, but all that really matters about Annabeth is that the actress can play a confident, charismatic, and smart girl who has good chemistry with Percy. If you could help me understand your thinking better pls let me know!

[@GirlintheSea]

I trust Rick, if he says she's the perfect Annabeth, then she is! Welcome Leah and Aryan!!!

[@victoria_rico03]

Yes! Can't wait to see them all together on screen!

[@toinfinityandbeyond3235]

When i was reading the book, I imagined Mckenna Grace as Annabeth. I don't know why but i always pictured her playing the role

[@sofiabento3024]

She is 17 lmao

[@zhengkyrie]

No way that Annabeth is a black girl… it's political correctness 🥺🥺🥺

[@dumbasssupreme4022]

no. shes a good actress and rick likes her. put some respect on her name. why cant black girls get any roles without people blaming it on diversity quotas? why cant we accept that there are talented black actresses out there???

[@ZEDInspector]

@@dumbasssupreme4022 literally, this happens every time a black woman or girl is cast in anything. I'm sick of people claiming it's diversity casting as if black women aren't incredibly talented actors who deserve these roles just as much as their white counterparts. Seriously... bullying a kid simply because she's black what a joke

[@sunday_7027]

4:29 Annabeth be like: "I'm smart and I know it" While book Annabeth might have broken the stigma for "dumb blondes", the vibes and character are more important in a live action portrayal so let's save the judgement for later I trust in Rick 🥰🥰

[@duo2146]

I was a little disappointed at first, but seeing how happy rick was and after the whole thing with the movies, I know that he's going to do his best to get us our series!! Super excited.

[@muv.luvs.u]

I’m still sad ;-;

[@wateringcan5369]

@@muv.luvs.u why? She’s an amazing cast.

[@spidercat5893]

I’m not going to be watching the show anymore. Like, I had so much hope for the show and our Percy, but they butchered one of the most important characters. No hate to the girl playing annabeth, but full hate to the people that cast the girl. Like I’m sorry, but Annabeth is not black. I don’t care if she is a super good actor, the looks are super important in the success of shows based off of books.

[@wateringcan5369]

@@spidercat5893 looks literally had nothing to do with her character. Instead of being underestimated bc she’s blonde, it’s because she’s black. That seems even more realistic to me.

[@spidercat5893]

@@wateringcan5369 I know that Rick chose her for Annabeth’s personality, but it doesn’t fit. Annabeth is white, with blonde hair. That image implanted into the minds of people that read the book. She may have that personality they are looking for, but how they look compared their image in the books is so important. It’s another reason why people didn’t like the original movie, the characters didn’t fit their looks.

[@cmgvillager]

Thank you for being respectfully to the POC casted especially since they are so young. I was so happy to see people on Twitter be happy with specifically Annabeth’s casting. For the most part the feedback has been good. It Absolutely warmed my heart seeing people get excited for her specifically. Great video!

[@madeleinepelfrey2669]

The fact that it hasn’t even been a day yet and people are already hating on Leah.. y’all Ik you wanted a book accurate show so did I for a little bit but after a while I honestly didn’t care what they would look like as long as they do good and bring the characters to life! Yes everyone is aloud to have your own opinion on the cast and a right to feel disappointed but we should at least give them a chance since the show isn’t out yet!

[@notoriusbookworm48]

Ngl I'm actually glad she's black. Just from the thumbnail she looks so excited! I'm so happy for her. Can't wait to see where she takes this, hopefully pretty close to book annabeth's personality.

[@silentshark9053]

Here’s the thing though, one day, I was just about how Percy is now a blond and then it spiraled into me thinking that Annabeth would have the ‘raven’ hair. I can predict the future. Also, what the characters look like isn’t what is gonna make me upset because they didn’t look like what I imagined. I can totally see the actors who are cast playing the trio. Actually, it’s the way camp half-blood will be formatted. In the trials of Apollo, the map in the hidden oracle was so different from what I imagined. However, I know I’ll enjoy the show. I’m from 2010 and I’m 12 too. How fast the time goes I assume.

[@lolno.4429]

Umm not being racist but like I kinda wish Annabeth was white bc it’s pretty important and that she was blonde.

[@iam.Tonio19]

She can wear blonde braids. Along with walker dyeing his hair black and wearing green contacts. And with aryan possibly having some fake facial hair. It’s literally not a big deal. It matters how good of actors they are. And the director and riordan clearly saw those 3 as the best ones.

[@puterboy2]

Me after seeing Annabeth and Grover: *facepalms*

[@kac4636]

I totally understand why he dint try to get the characters to look like they do in the books. Rick has said that the first books were super white, and honestly this feels so on brand for Rick. He made sure to give us more and more representation as the books went on, so this makes sense and I like it. The thing is idk how they are gonna deal with the whole percy seeing Sadie as his and Annabeths kid thing since race is a pretty big deal in the Kane chronicles so they are going to have to make Sadie like she looks like in the books.

[@agenttheater5]

we don't even know if the demigods and magicians short story collection us even going to be adapted

[@kac4636]

@@quasi8180 if you're talking about the movies, the fandom didn't like them because they don't really do anything to capture what's so special about the books. Annabeth's hair not being blonde was just the cherry on top. They weren't loyal to the books and the characters didn't even look like themselves, so all they did was just slap the name "Percy Jackson" in the tittle. By themselves the movies aren't that bad in my opinion, but it's the fact that they were adapted from the books by people who didn't care about the books.

[@Maxxburn101]

But that in itself means the percy jackson universe is already diverse as hoo is in the same universe its not like its an all white universe i think every African American character should be played by an african american and there are many . Just because the first books arent as diverse doesnt mean its bad its just one camp out of many heroes. Just unnecessary to change annabeths race if anything percy would have been more open to race bending as hes descibed as Mediterranean.

[@quasi8180]

@@Maxxburn101 if she can act who gives a shit. Annabeth is a fictional character so her race doesnt really matter. Rick riordan made this call so he mustve been impressed.

[@Maxxburn101]

@@quasi8180 he also wanted it book accurate but obviously not. That same thing would not be said if it was a white girl that can act replacing a black character and that would be understandable its hypocritical to race swap one way and be so happy and excited and the other upset. There's nothing wrong with wanting a book accurate representation. That said absolutely nothing against these young actors. I just have qualms with the casting director and rick for not seeing through both the vision of the character through acting and the visual side.

[@thetenthringwraith2207]

Guys remember that the original movies weren't unsuccessful because of poor casting (not saying this is poor casting, that's just how people are taking it), but because of the writing technique and the poor adaptations, I'm talking about excluding characters, scenes, and entire plotlines.

[@isa-fg2xt]

I AM SO HAPPY, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, LEAH IS PERFECT FOR ANNABETH, ARYAN IS PERFECT FOR GROVER AND WALKER IS PERFECT FOR PERCY i would love if they put on gray contact on Leah, she would be absolutely stunning

[@mailyak442]

oooo that’d be cool!

[@lonelybookworm2895]

Leah the person that plays Annabeth she could braid Blonde yarn in her hair so that gives more Annabeth vibes all I really care about is the acting

[@fellowlumitystan6367]

Some of these comments are not it😕 I understand many of you guys are disappointed that you won’t get to see a book accurate Annabeth on-screen, and that’s fine. But you just have to have trust in Rick and the casting director that they casted the right girl. As a black girl myself, I was so stoked when I saw Leah as Annabeth. Yeah, she wasn’t how I imagined her from the books, but so what? As long as she gives a great performance as Annabeth, it’s not that big of a deal. Plus, she could always dye her hair or get extensions to be blonde😁.

[@anweshade5794]

Exactly. Well, many of us had imagined Annabeth as a fair and blonde girl with stormy grey eyes but that don't only potray the traits we gotta look for Annabeth. Smart, elegant, wise, humorous, loyal, lovable and brave.. that's what we understand when Annabeth walks into the screen. And apart from that, when Riordan is himself ever ecstatic and satisfied with the cast, i can't wait for the series to be aired!

[@pinkpastelic5312]

(I’m not tryna be rude) who do white blondes have to look up to and relate to now tho? Also Rick is a hypocrite for getting mad at the movies for giving her brown hair. This is all I’m mad about, other than that I’m sure she’s a great actor and she’ll do good.

[@anweshade5794]

@@pinkpastelic5312 hmm. the production can always dye her hair.. Percy's too. But still they are kids. Hope they don't get disheartened by social media's impertinent comments.

[@lucyb3701]

@@pinkpastelic5312 A LOT of other characters from other shows and movies. Annabeth not being one won’t kill anyone. And Rick never got mad at Annabeth for not having dark hair, he didn’t care about that. He was mad that she was too old and her personality was all wrong.

[@stairway_to_kevin]

It's strange on the yellow shirt picture of the annabeth actress, she's what I imagined hazel Levesque from heroes of Olympus. I'll give her a chance but I'll admit, I have a hard time seeing her as the annabeth I grew up reading about but I'll wait and see. I hope this is a success so soooo much

[@reagan8662]

I’m curious to see who they cast for Poseidon and the other gods, also Luke

[@BestFriendsWhoLiveTogether]

I’m not hating and please don’t label me as racist, I love that girl as Annabeth, but I do think that her being white is part of her character, the blonde hair especially - it’s breaking the stereotypes of that ‘dumb blonde’ - and the grey eyes represent her mother’s wisdom

[@theoeric2907]

Lmao. How many times was that brought up in the books. Rest abeg "dumb blond" 🤣🤣 you are a clown lmfao just say you hate black representation and keep it pushing

[@BestFriendsWhoLiveTogether]

@Remi Wilkins I completely agree

[@dotty5218]

no hate about Annabeth new actress... but in my opinion, i hate it. if Hazel were white in this series you would cancel right away.

[@georgiaholm8052]

Omgggg!! I love them, also Annabeth would look so pretty with blond hair and to be fair it never actually said she was white, just tanner than Percy

[@imcd6885]

Personally I don’t mind annabeth’s casting as long as she acts like annabeth. I have faith Uncle Rick will make this show the best he can be.

[@potatoeslou]

The biggest thing for me is I want a proper plot line

[@silentb8997]

The Show will Follow the Plot of the Novels More Closely than the Films!!!!!!😁🤩😍🥰

[@morganayling]

I want this series out now so I can watch this series in one day

[@Hazi_yell]

Really happy with this casting, the Percy Jackson fandom is finally getting that Harry Potter treatment that we deserve for so long! Can’t wait to see these actors grow up together and develop an amazing bond. At the first sighting of this casting I’m not gonna lie I was surprised but after reading the article I have so much faith in Rick to bring his works of art to life on the screen. You can tell he really cares about this show and he’s gonna do his very best to make us proud and satisfied. Yes the changes are new and will take time for some fans to get use to but I’m loving it so far and I’m so eager to see what they’ll look like in their full Camp Half-Blood swag.

[@killeur78570]

Really happy why ? THEY ARE NOT LIKE THIS IN THE BOOK

[@Hazi_yell]

@@killeur78570 just my opinion lol don’t need to be so pressed about it😂 they’re going to do a great job and I can’t wait to see it :)

[@brendanparker4605]

After reading the announcements of the actors and actress...I get CW flash vibes..Both Grant and Candice are playing characters that have a different look from the comic counterparts but they have definitively cemented themselves as Barry and Iris with their personality and chemistry. So Walker and Leah looking different from the book counterparts, doesn't bother me one bit.

[@kgodisotloane8162]

True👍

[@nataliefraioli7201]

THISSSS

[@hadley_2813]

Agreed

[@sunsinger970]

Oh God don't make that comparison CW flash was such digshit I couldn't even finish it.

[@brendanparker4605]

@@sunsinger970 the show's writing was bad, as one would expect from a CW show, it's campy. However, Grant and Candice poured everything into being Barry and Iris and they excelled that benchmark. I have high hopes that Walker and Leah will do the exact same and put their names on these iconic characters.

[@yennyrgonzalez8782]

I think I'm the only one with an unpopular opinion, but I appreciate too much that the characters are respected, the character of annabeth with all her characteristics is my favorite, and I also think her blonde hair is one of her most mentioned aspects in the books. right now i'm disappointed and a little sad 😢😢

[@folathomassobowale2519]

she can dye it.

[@ainzooalgown.41]

@@folathomassobowale2519 she can't dye her face

[@Sir_Mangoz]

@@ainzooalgown.41 Well, that’s a bit racist I guess but ok

[@Sir_Mangoz]

How are we going to try and interpret book annabeth to this annabeth

[@thesladesterb3vt3co7h]

@@Sir_Mangoz You can imagine what Annabeth and the other characters would look like. I love the fact the books don’t have pictures because you can imagine what the characters look like to you. The show can have Annabeth as being more black skinned, and you imagine book Annabeth as having a different color of skin or whatever. It doesn’t have to be that she has to look Caucasian, and has to absolutely have blond her. Sea of Monsters attempted for Annabeth to have dyed blonde hair, but it just ended up looking like total crap. Let me ask you something. Would you rather have a white skinned actress with blond hair play Annabeth and suck at acting as the character? Or would you rather have an actress that fits the part well in terms of personality but look different in terms of skin color and appearance?

[@caihtexdekruyter6236]

I have been wanting to see Idris Elba as Chiron and the fact that Leah already has had him as a father figure for a role…..!!! Also I think that Rudy Pankow (he was recently the older brother in Uncharted) would make a fantastic Luke Castellan. He is 6 ft which is great to be importing as Kronos and had a great morally gray older brother feel in Uncharted.

[@Fluffy_Wolverine]

ohhh i checked him out and he looks goooood! although i'm afraid he might be a little too old :/

[@thesladesterb3vt3co7h]

@@Fluffy_Wolverine Isn’t Luke about 17-20s in the books?

[@caihtexdekruyter6236]

@@Fluffy_Wolverine I was concerned about that as he’s 24 I think but when he played the older brother he did great as a like 17-19 year old. I have high hopes! 😂

[@eshaalzoreed]

@@thesladesterb3vt3co7h 19 in the first book, he's 7 years older than Annabeth. Annabeth was 7 when she met Luke, Luke was 14

[@thesladesterb3vt3co7h]

@@eshaalzoreed Yeah. I recall that Luke was one of the oldest Percy Jackson and the Olympians characters in terms of age so I figured Luke was at least about an adult by the time of the first book.

[@anahitaghoyan3552]

So this is how they FIX the 2010 adaptation???🙃

[@bcjdjjdjfjjdks7889]

ikr

[@berengustav7714]

2010:Reveals Percy's father right away. Instead of the iconic Claiming at the Creek. Chiron tells the fury to bugger off,taking away Percy slaying his 1st foe. Instead of something conspiring in the underworld,so Hades being evil is assumed,2010 made Hades appear as a fiery horned bat winged mofo,because Hollywood hates Hades. Ares was the coolest adult,2010 cut him out. 2010 made the gods be in very Greek coustumes,when "what would gods be in modern times?" is essential. Not even getting into how Grover,Annabeth and Percy's PERSONALITY'S are changed.

[@Prxppy_mxckingjay]

When I saw the news, I went crazy! I cnat wait ot see the rest of the cast

[@livi_raine]

i audibly squealed when i saw this. Cant wait to see them all onscreen together!!!

[@hamnafaisal350]

Coming from a WOC, I'm disappointed with the casting. No, I'm not gonna hate on them, I'm sure they'll be great. But I can't deny feeling disconnected.

[@agenttheater5]

You can definitely see Aryan saying "There are satyrs who would trample you underfoot for such an insult" and "oh nothing much, just a half-man half-bull that wants to kill us, that's all" out of annoyance of being mistaken for being half-donkey.

[@teadora99]

I wrote this elsewhere but the "dumb blonde" narrative is very much of the past. It was popular in the 90s/00s but no one really thinks of blondes as dumb anymore, its a stereotype we're all aware of but very rarely do blondes actually get treated differently because they're "dumb". The only thing about Annabeth that is important is that she was underestimated because of her appearance THATS IT. That can be spun a multitude of different ways not only that she's "dumb" because she's blonde. POC, and black POC specifically, are notoriously underestimated and descriminated not only in the education sector but also in real life. If anything, casting Annabeth as a POC actually makes MORE sense than casting her as a white blonde girl in today's society according to the fact that she was always underestimated in the books due to her appearance. Seriously, would people rather they cast some average actress that looked exactly like Annabeth, than what seems to be a phenomenal actress that doesn't look like her? If Rick has so much faith in her to cast her over, I'm sure, thousands of other white young girls then everyone should respect his decision and wait until the show actually comes out, to make their judgments.

[@Suzumiya_]

I love this comment so much!! You summed up my thoughts entirely.. The dumb blonde stereotype is SO out-dated and not even thought about in today's society as an actual insult whereas being black in America 100% has the stereotype of being seen as "not as smart." So I do hope they bring that to this Annabeth as an explanation to her race change because I think it'll be good for people to see that more talked about.

[@Sir_Mangoz]

But that’s part of her personality, surprised you even read the books you bum

[@aidanscholl4647]

My thoughts exactly!

[@dumbasssupreme4022]

thank you thank you thank you oh my god

[@lucyb3701]

Thank you! You are exactly right! And, honestly, even when the dumb blonde stereotype is mentioned, it’s not mentioned in the series until Mark of Athena, a book that will not even be in this adaptation, because this is an adaptation of the first 5 books! Even in that book, she never brought it up to anyone, she just thought it! But people act like she talks about it in every book, and it’s SO annoying, because you never can reason with them!

[@adrianthethey]

Ok, but, Chiron as Uncle Rick? can we make that happen?

[@mythic_redpanda4955]

There is nothing wrong with the kids , they literally just have to put a bit a makeup and additional stuff like hair dye and eye contacts IM SO EXCITED

[@beatrizd8511]

WHO ISNT!!!!!!!

[@gem832]

@NanoChann were was she described as white in the books ?

[@yunamchill9169]

@NanoChann But at least she could have her blond hair

[@psycho9815]

@@gem832 she is described as having curly blond hair,stormy grey eyes and tan skin(greek Mediterranean skin)

[@dannytoledo28]

yessssssss!!!!!!! we have the trio!!!!!! Percy, Annabeth and Grover im soo exacited!!!!!

[@chinkara2140]

The little girl doesn't deserve any hate ofc but this doesn't feel good... I just can't imagine Annabeth to be her.

[@dumbasssupreme4022]

that's your problem. cope

[@chinkara2140]

@@dumbasssupreme4022 well if the author doesn't have a problem with it then I shouldn't have one too ig

[@fox7804]

Honestly, I don’t like the casting, I like Percy, Grover is good because satyrs aren’t a specific race, but annabeth is not the right one in my opinion. I feel like a big part of the PJO movie hate was because the characters were not book accurate because they were old and Annabeth wasn’t blonde but all of a sudden this major change is okay with everyone? I’ll still give the show a chance but it doesn’t feel like the books I read because it’s not book accurate just like the movies weren’t the books I read because the characters were not accurate. On a certain level I feel like the actors were casted just for the point of being diverse and having POC representation more than anything which is good I stand with representation for everyone but this casting was not it in my opinion. They casted Hazel they did not cast annabeth.

[@folathomassobowale2519]

percy has dark hair but his actor is blonde and ur fine with that but when it comes to annabeth who doesnt have blonde hair its not fine okay i understand...

[@folathomassobowale2519]

and she could just dye her hair blonde

[@fox7804]

@@folathomassobowale2519 there’s a big difference between his hair being light that could be easily dyed black and her looking absolutely nothing like annabeth is described, look at the official PJO artwork and tell me how they can make Walker look like that which would be very easy and then tell me how they could make Leah look like that, yeah see how it just is not possible?

[@iDrexcy]

@@fox7804 who cares? Acting over appearance and if Rick feels she’s a good fit then she’s a good fit.

[@teadora99]

I mean do you see how happy Rick was with the casting? I've literally never seen him smiling so much. She obviously completely nailed the role if she was chosen over everyone else. Sure maybe she had a little more favour due to being POC but if they found someone that had better energy than her and was white they wouldn't just cast Leah because she's POC when there was clearly someone better? Her performance and her chemistry with Walker fit what Rick wanted therefore she was the choice. You need to let go of the book character appearances because frankly, they're the least important thing to get right. Sure there was that whole "dumb blonde" stuff but is there not also very clear discrimination against POC in education? Frankly in today's society this makes a lot more sense than the "dumb blonde" thing when no one really says that at all anymore, that was very much a 90s/00s thing. Whats important here is that she can act like annabeth, not whether she looks like annabeth. You should be thankful they went for someone that apparently fits Annabeth's vibe to a T rather than just hiring someone that looks the most like the book character's description, which I'm sure they easily could have. You losing faith based on casting alone is a little ridiculous, the show won't even come out til next year, if Rick is this happy, then have some faith in their decisions, the show won't be exactly the same as the books no matter how much you want them to be. It will still be different, because that is always the case for book to movie/show adaptations, purely due to some ideas within books being difficult to implement on screen. Seriously, have some faith in the actors and Rick, Leah has apparently worked with Idris Elba so clearly she is very talented. Reserve your judgment for when the show comes out.

[@TheThinkingPhilosopher]

As good of an acting job as she might do, we really can't get a blond Annabeth can we...

[@josephbeaulieu1569]

I'm just relieved that the actors are the same age of the characters

[@ish4638]

I'm really happy that a black girl was cast in Annabeth's role! The first series of books obviously had big representation-related issues, so such an important character being a POC should help a lot with that :) She can still have blonde extensions and wear grey contacts, and there's nothing wrong with going against expectations. At the end of the day, the appearance of the actors is the LEAST important thing: these kids are the right age, talented actors, charismatic, and will be fantastic in the show

[@agenttheater5]

here here!

[@yunamchill9169]

I very strongly recommend ya'll to read Rick's article 'Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase' on his page. Look what ya'll made him do. He's pissed.

[@Fluffy_Wolverine]

i got super excited when i saw the news and then started reading comments :') so i had to watch your video to clean off the negative emotions, and it totally worked!

[@agenttheater5]

And then maybe we'll get word on who's playing Carter and Sadie Kane, unless Netflix is keeping it quiet until the first Kane Chronicles movie is released.

[@bengheinrich7500]

When I first saw the announcement I was excited and I am starting to re-read the books again. When I heard the reactions of the cast for Annabeth I was like ''give her a chance all right.''

[@silentshark9053]

I just woke up and I have to go to school in like three minutes but I’m so excited so I have to watch this, or at least part of it. I watched doctor strange yesterday and it was chaotic and cool. I hope you have fun!

[@bluo6344]

I feel like the Disney plus Annabeth will be like Charlotte from Henry danger energy

[@hadley_2813]

I know you said to not hate but I just can’t! In the beginning of Lighting thief Percy described a beautiful 12 year old with BLOND princess hair, gray stormy eyes, and “Californian” surfer girl skin. She’s cute but this makes me sad. She better make up for it with in performance or I am just going to be disappointed!

[@joemcbride9753]

I'm hesitant for annabeth because in the books and in the official art for the books they look nothing alike but I'm glad to see that we have the trio together and hey maybe she'll exeed all expectations

[@CozyAsha]

It's good that he choose Leah as Annabeth. As a black person and I speak for most black people. We are tired of seeing blacks and other people of color betrayed as animals or doing voice overs for animals. It should never be a hard pill to swallow when it comes to someone's skin color because people of color can't how we are born. All the diversity in Rick's books and people are still racist. If the series makes it to the lost hero and son of neptune Hazel will have to be played by a biracial black actress. Remember Rick choose Leah because he saw that she was Annebeth, he knows what he is doing and we need to trust him. Rick roasted the movies and knew it wasn't going to work and he turned out to be right.

[@brightfaith8403]

You can’t speak for all black people, that’s just ridiculous. What happened to free thinking? I know plenty of black people who are upset about this decision. AND I know plenty of black people who are upset about race swapping in the new Lord of the Rings tv series.

[@emperor_msk]

@@brightfaith8403 why are they making a new LOTR adaptation? The current one is good as it stands

[@theilluminatibenefactor]

Hey, don't hate on Annabeth's actor because she doesn't look like Annabeth from the official arts Rick's artist made. Give her a shot. Take Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (MCU) for example. People said RDJ won't do great as Iron Man, and now look at him, he is still remembered as the one and only Iron Man.

[@bookworm598]

I'm pretty sure people said this because RDJ was a pretty washed out actor at the time. RDJ literally looks exactly like tony stark in the comics

[@pebblethesandwing1151]

But RDJ looks like iron man

[@theilluminatibenefactor]

@@bookworm598 Yeah, I know he looks exactly like Tony in the comics; but since he was an ex-convict, people doubted him at first, but after his performance in 2008, people adored him as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

[@theilluminatibenefactor]

@@boo5049 What's a good example then?

[@pebblethesandwing1151]

@@theilluminatibenefactor there are none. #accurateannabeth

[@gphoenix6087]

IKKKKKKK I CAN'T WAIT