Percy Jackson Composer Says the Show’s Music Was Inspired by John Williams

Percy Jackson and the Olympians concludes its 8-episode 2nd play connected Disney+ tomorrow. And now, the show’s composer is revealing that helium took inspiration from 1 of the astir legendary names successful movie music: John Williams.

Bear McCreary, who’s besides scored large bid similar Battlestar Galactica, Outlander, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on with video games God of War, Forspoken, and Call of Duty, Vanguard, says his enactment connected Percy Jackson follows successful the footsteps of the “big and orchestral” euphony created by Williams.

I spoke with McCreary astir his enactment connected Percy Jackson and the Olympians and asked if helium was trying to innovate erstwhile creating euphony for the series.

“Innovative is not what I was going for,” McCreary says. “I'm penning successful this benignant of accepted John Williams benignant of style. John Williams wrote Star Wars erstwhile helium was 44 and helium was not trying to innovate. He was trying to notation what helium grew up with. So helium wanted to stock with the satellite the euphony that helium and George Lucas loved erstwhile they were kids. It was large orchestral thematic music. That was 50 years ago."

“When I americium penning euphony that is large and orchestral, I'm penning the euphony of my puerility truthful that kids who are tuning into Percy Jackson astatine property betwixt 5 and 10 who don't cognize Indiana Jones musically - they aren't arsenic acquainted with these sounds arsenic we are. And truthful I realized capable clip has passed [and] I would emotion to stock with kids contiguous however overmuch I emotion the euphony I grew up on, arsenic John Williams shared with kids successful the '70s however overmuch helium loved the euphony helium grew up on. So oddly, innovation was the past happening connected my mind.”

McCreary, who besides composes the people for the Prime Video bid Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, says that penning themes for Percy Jackson was not rather arsenic hard arsenic creating euphony for Middle-earth.

“There was a batch of ideating [with Percy Jackson],” McCreary says. “Not arsenic overmuch successful examination to Rings of Power simply due to the fact that of the standard of the show. In the lawsuit of Percy, I had to constitute less themes retired of the gate, but that doesn't mean determination was little unit connected each taxable to transportation its weight. And the large question was whether it should dependable similar Greek instruments, due to the fact that these are gods known from Greek mythology. I'm gladsome I had clip to play with that.”

McCreary says that adjacent though the euphony from Percy Jackson and the Olympians has roots successful epic cinema, helium inactive wanted to marque definite the show’s themes resonated with modern audiences.

“We were precise overmuch telling a modern communicative astir modern kids,” McCreary says. “And there's a batch of modern sounds. But fundamentally, it's a precise thematic, aged schoolhouse score. And I would accidental the trifecta of the 3 main quality themes - Percy, Grover, and Annabeth - are each delightful successful a way. Percy is this classical leader theme. Grover is the classical comedic sidekick quality theme, and Annabeth is similar this ‘lyrical imaginable emotion involvement down the line’ theme. It’s delightful for maine to get to play astir with those tropes.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is streaming connected Disney+.

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment astatine IGN, starring amusement contented and sum of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years moving successful the games and amusement industry, and his adventures person taken him everyplace from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him connected Bluesky @MichaelPeyton