Chris Columbus to direct "The Lightning Thief"

By: Karl Schneider
Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Source: Hollywood Reporter

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Chris Columbus is in negotiations to direct the upcoming fantasy adaptation, The Lightning Thief.

Based on the first book in the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series by Rick Riordan, the story centers on a young boy who discovers that he is the descendant of a Greek god and sets out, with the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, on a dangerous adventure to settle an ongoing battle between the gods. Along the way, he faces a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. He also must come to terms with a father he has never known and an oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.

No screenwriter has been hired as of yet. Fox 2000 is overseeing the project.

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Comments/Responses

majorbludd • Apr 18, 2007, 02:09am •

good to see greek myths coming into play..was only a matter of time...so 1st the Clash of the Titans remake..then this...could be good

Captmathman • Apr 18, 2007, 08:07am •

I think Columbus could do a good job with this; might be a decent flick. I'd like to be able to take The Boy to this, if the trailers look good...

wessmith1966 • Apr 18, 2007, 08:50am •

Columbus will make an entertaining film, but when I read this I thought immediately of Clash of the Titans. Are mythological movies going to be the next "big thing" in Hollywood? I hope Marvel's keeping an eye on these projects, because if this is indeed a new trend they could strike box office gold with a good Thor movie based on the Norse mythology (read Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda for the best telling of Norse mythological tales). Get Mike Avon Oeming or Walt Simonson to write the script because they both have a great understanding of the mythology and how to mix it with the super hero elements.

muchdrama • Apr 18, 2007, 02:09pm •

I think Columbus will do a great job with this material..."Harry Potter" hasn't been the same without him.

IamChuck2026 • Apr 18, 2007, 02:40pm •

I read this book, and really liked it. I found Percy to be a good hero, reluctant and prone to get into trouble. If done right, this would make a great film. The way they work in some of the classic Greek characters is clever. Medusa works in a statuary in the first book, and Cerces runs a spa and turns men into guinea pigs that she sells to elementary schools to keep as pets.

"..."Harry Potter" hasn't been the same without him. "
I feel the Potter movies got better after Columbus left. Not that the first two were bad, just that they quality has improved with each movie.

almostunbiased • Apr 18, 2007, 03:56pm •

Isn't this Disney's Hercules???

Either way, I might like it if not directed towards children too much.

woodwraith • Apr 19, 2007, 12:45am •

I like the sound of this. I patiently await to see the trailer.

ponyboy76 • Apr 19, 2007, 04:27am •

Thinking about Thor, they could get that dude from the 13th Warrior to play the norse god. He kicked ass in that movie and look just like "the Thunder God".

I also agree that the Potter films got better after Columbus left. The first 2 were very good, but its just that they seem to get the right directors for the different tones of each one.

muchdrama • Apr 19, 2007, 04:34pm •

That interminable magic disappeared after Columbus left the series.

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