It all went a bit quiet for Percy Jackson following the release of The Lightning Thief last year. The adaptation of the first in Rick Riordan's young adult series didn't quite break even during its US run, but its performance overseas has apparently now persuaded Fox to get moving on a sequel after all. Sticking faithfully to the chronology of the books, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters** is now being actively developed, with Logan Lerman set to return as the titular dyslexic demigod.
There's no director attached yet, with Chris Columbus, who helmed the first film, acting only as producer this time, along with Twilight's Karen Rosenfelt. Different writers too, with The Lightning Thief's Craig Titley (Scooby Doo, Cheaper By the Dozen) handing over the reins to Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. The pair previously wrote the kid-friendly Agent Cody Banks, but also brought us Stephen King adaptation 1408 and a trilogy of quirky biopics in Ed Wood, The People Vs Larry Flynt and Man on the Moon.
The Sea of Monsters is the Argonautical entry in the franchise, involving Percy, demigoddess Annabeth, and Clarissa La Rue (daughter of war god Ares; no relation to Danny) on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and rescue Grover the Satyr from the evil forces of Kronos.
Along with Lerman, The Lightning Thief's main co-leads Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T Jackson and Jake Abel all look set to return (having signed contracts for a series). The starrier bit players (Sean Bean, Rosario Dawson, Pierce Brosnan) are less certain. It's early days yet though: the project doesn't quite have the green light, although according to the LA Times' sources it could start shooting as early as this summer.