Percy Jackson: Our Top 5 Picks for Replacing Lance Reddick as Zeus

The final episode of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ just aired and despite the somewhat underwhelming finale, the high point was seeing Lance Reddick’s Zeus in action. Despite having only a few lines in the episode, the scene with him and his brother Poseidon was powerful. Now, the second season of ‘Percy Jackson’ hasn’t exactly been announced yet, but we do know that writers’ room is already busy at work. However, there is a problem since Lance Reddic suddenly passed away on March 17th from heart disease, meaning that Zeus was his final role and now the casting team is met with a devastating decision to recast such an important character.

Until some official news arrives, we can only speculate on who could replace Reddick as Zeus, so let’s see our top 5 candidates.

1. Liam Neeson

The obvious choice, I still think about Liam Neeson any time live-action Zeus is mentioned. Neeson played the god of Thunder and Sky in the 2010 ‘Clash of the Titans’ remake. The movie was an insane box office hit and Neeson himself stated on several occasions that he would be willing to play Zeus again – in the ‘Clash of the Titans’ franchise. However, with some persuasion, I’m certain he would be willing to bring his powerful presence to the ‘Percy Jackson’ franchise as well.

2. Russel Crowe

Like the aforementioned Liam Neeson, Russel Crowe already has experience playing Zeus, and he also has experience working with Disney, however, it might be a bit confusing to see him in two Disney franchises. Russel Crowe played Zeus in ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ and despite a somewhat comedic take on the character he was a powerful presence. He might not be the Zeus we need, but he is certainly the Zeus we deserve.

3. Keith David

If we’re insisting on Zeus being black, Keith David would be the perfect choice, despite his age. He has a commanding presence on screen. Keith David is also not a stranger to fiction having roles in ‘The Thing,’ ‘They Live,’ ‘Gargoyles’ and several other notable fantasy franchises such as ‘The Chronicles of Riddick.’ The long hair and grey-black beard can be added later.

4. Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Hounsou embodied the Wizard in ‘Shazam’ movies, and he was pretty decent as an all-powerful hermit. He also visually looked like someone with a commanding presence, besides he is already used to portraying characters with electric powers. There’s also the fact that we already know what Djimon Hounsou looks like in toga and with long hair and a book-accurate beard if Disney decides to go down that road.

5. Luke Evans

Luke Evans, like the majority of actors on this list already has experience playing Zeus. He embodied the God of Thunder in 2011 ‘Immortals’ and despite the movie falling somewhat flat, he was a pretty decent and stylish Zeus. His age would also correspond better to Toby Stephens’ Poseidon. Like the majority of actors here, Luke has a powerful stage presence, a sinister gaze, and has ample experience portraying fantasy characters, like Vlad from ‘Dracula Untold,’ and Gaston from 2017 ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ He also portrayed Bard in ‘The Hobbit’ movies.

Have an actor to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!