Courtney B. Vance is taking up the mantle of Zeus following the death of Lance Reddick. The “Grotesquerie” and “American Crime Story” star has joined Season 2 of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”
“Finding someone to step into this role going forward was not an easy task, but when icon Courtney B. Vance answered the call, we knew the Gods were listening,” executive producer Dan Shotz wrote in a post on the Disney+ original’s Instagram page. “This legend of cinema not only wanted to honor the books, but wanted to honor Lance’s legacy. We can’t wait for you all to see him take the throne.”
Reddick, who is best known for his work in “John Wick,” “Fringe” and “The Wire,” died in March 2023 at the age of 60. At the time of his death, a spokesperson said the actor died of natural causes.
Zeus is a major character in the Disney+ original series about Greek gods. The god of the sky and the father of demigod Thalia Grace (Tamara Smart), in Season 1 Zeus accused Percy (Walker Scobell) of stealing his lightning bolt. That accusation sparked a nationwide journey to restore order to Olympus. Season 2 will be based on the second book in the series by Rick Riordan, “The Sea of Monsters.” This time around, Percy will have to protect Camp Half-Blood from the King of the Titans, Kronos (Nick Boraine). At the same time, he’ll have to find his missing best friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and find the Golden Fleece.
Vance previously starred in “The Hunt for Red October,” “Space Cowboys” and “Dangerous Minds.” On the television side, he recently starred in FX’s “Grotesquerie,” as well as AMC’s “61st Street,” National Geographic’s “Genius” and HBO’s “Lovecraft Country.” So far, he’s won a Tony Award for “Lucky” and two Primetime Emmy Awards for “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and “Lovecraft Country.”
Season 1 of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is available to stream on Disney+.
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