Lin-Manuel Miranda is too famous for his Percy Jackson casting

Disney Plus has adapted the beloved Percy Jackson series of Rick Riordan. So far, the casting announcements have been **chef’s kiss emoji**. Three young, relatively undiscovered actors will be the main cast. Riordan promises that they’ll portray the beloved characters. As for the adult cast, there have been some fantastic choices — Jason Mantzoukas as reluctant camp counselor and god of wine Dionysus, for instance, as well as Canadian wrestler Adam Copeland as Ares, the aggressive god of war. Every casting announcement is just now SoIncreasing the excitement is key.

They would make mistakes.

Disney recently announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda — of Hamilton, In the Heights, MoanaAnd Encanto fame, to mention a few — will be guest starring as Hermes, the messenger god. Now, Hermes doesn’t play a major part in the first Percy Jackson book, so it’s likely that Miranda isn’t going to have a huge appearance in the show. But the fact that he’s going to be in it feels like a misstep.

Miranda is an incredible songwriter and lyricist. His singing and acting abilities are fine, however. His best work happens when he’s behind the camera (or stage, or piano, or whatever metaphor you want to toss in here). Look no further. Vivo, Netflix’s animated kinkajou movie which starred Miranda as the title monkey. Or His Dark Materials, another adaptation of a beloved children’s series, where he plays Texan balloonist Lee Scoresby. Miranda seems to be playing himself in these two cases, as Lee and Vivo are Fortnite skins.

Unfortunately the audience for this show — namely Gen Z’ers who grew up with this book series or are still actively reading it — aren’t as keen on Miranda as their older millennial siblings might be. On social media platforms such as TikTok, the composer has become a well-known meme. Insider reports that there was a massive wave of memes about Miranda biting his lips in July 2020. It’s not that young people hate him… it’s just that to them he’s a bit cringe.

However, this is because Miranda is so different to the rest. You can also famous. Yes, Mantzoukas has a sizable fanbase, but he’s not anywhere near the household name that Miranda is. Percy JacksonIt is meant to be about the young characters only, and adults are there to help them. But having a very famous face in the mix, even if it’s just for a few moments, might detract from their performances.

Of course, we won’t know till we see the show — and who knows? Maybe Miranda’s take on the Greek god will blow us all away.

Disney Plus will likely release Percy Jackson sometime in 2024.