Percy Jackson Writer To Take On Ancient Aliens
Writer and Producer Craig Titley has seen success over the years with pop culture moments that have taken over the conversation of science fiction and fantasy projects. He adapted the novel Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2010, a film that was directed by Chris Columbus and starred Logan Lerman as a teenager who uncovers the truth that he is a relative of a Greek god. Percy Jackson catapulted Lerman’s career as his character sought adventure in order to mediate a battle between the gods. Titley wrote on the ABC drama Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which launched Clark Gregg’s character of Agent Phil Coulson into the television stratosphere. But now, Titley has signed onto a new project that will take audiences into a world that only the History Channel has gone before.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, writer Craig Titley has inked a deal with the History Channel to elevate its monumental series Ancient Aliens into a new dimension. The series debuted in 2009 and has run for 18 seasons on the network. Narrated by Robert Clotworthy, Ancient Aliens currently dives into conspiracy theories and controversial subject matters such as extraterrestrial contact from thousands of years ago, UFOs, psychic phenomena, and various government conspiracies related to aliens. The series is presented in a documentary format, a departure from Titley’s Percy Jackson days, but one he seems to want to continue with this new project.
The feature film of Ancient Aliens seems to have been in the works for some time. As reported by Deadline back in 2021, Josh Heald and his producing team have been tapped to take on the new venture, with Heald possibly stepping in to direct. Heald is most known for his work on Netflix’s Cobra Kai alongside co-showrunners Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Noted by The Wrap, Heald, Titley, and team are looking to present the premise set forth by the TV series version of Ancient Aliens, but throw in a bit of Percy Jackson flair by expanding on the Ancient Astronaut Theorist discussions from the show. Just as Heald reimagined Karate Kid for a new generation of Netflix lovers, they are looking to do the same for Ancient Aliens.
However, Titley, Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg have their work cut out for them. Similar to penning the script for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Cobra Kai, there is most likely an awareness on the part of the filmmakers that there is already a built-in appreciation for Ancient Aliens as well. While there aren’t currently a lot of details available for this film adaptation of the successful show, the series itself has a loyal fanbase of viewers, many of which have attended AlienCon in the past. Per The Hollywood Reporter, AlienCon attracts more than 50,000 attendees every year since its inception in 2016. Ancient Aliens is often a show that is featured and discussed during this convention, and many of the theories from the show are likely going to end up in the film version as well.
