Disney+ is expanding its Rick Riordan universe, with a live-action adaptation of ‘The Kane Chronicles’ now in development at the streamer.
Based on Riordan’s trilogy of novels, the project is being created by Riordan alongside Angela Robinson (How to Get Away with Murder, True Blood, The L Word), with 20th Television producing.
‘The Kane Chronicles’ centres on a trilogy of novels, The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire and The Serpent’s Shadow, alongside companion books The Kane Chronicles Survival Guide and Brooklyn House Magician’s Manual. There is also Demigods & Magicians, a collection of three crossover stories which brings some of the characters together with Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. The series swaps the Greek mythology of Riordan’s better-known Percy Jackson stories for the gods, magic and monsters of ancient Egypt.
The story follows estranged siblings Carter and Sadie Kane, powerful magicians who are descendants of the pharaohs Narmer and Ramses the Great. After their father unleashes a very old and very dangerous problem, the pair are pulled into a modern-day conflict involving Egyptian gods and goddesses.
The official logline reads:
“When their father unleashes the god of chaos and vanishes, the estranged Kane siblings must master their inherited Egyptian magic, forge unlikely alliances, and rescue their father before warring gods can wreak havoc on our modern world.”
The novels take place in the same wider universe as Riordan’s Camp Half-Blood books and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. That also puts the Kane siblings in the same literary universe as ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘, which has become a major Disney+ success.
This is not the first time ‘The Kane Chronicles’ has headed towards the screen. Netflix had previously been developing the property as a feature film, but that version ultimately did not move forward, and the rights reverted to Riordan in 2024. They have now landed at 20th Television, the same studio behind Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ adaptation.
That series has proved there is a sizeable audience for Riordan’s mythology-heavy adventures on Disney+. ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ launched in 2023 and drew nearly 30 million views in less than a month, with its third season due to arrive in November.
The new ‘Kane Chronicles’ project is executive produced by Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan and Angela Robinson, alongside Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Jeremy Bell for The Gotham Group.
It is worth stressing that ‘The Kane Chronicles’ is currently only in development at Disney+, meaning the project may or may not ultimately move forward to series. There is no casting or premiere date to report just yet.
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