Rick Riordan Says ‘Percy Jackson’ Movies Are His “Life’s Work Going Through A Meat Grinder”

Rick Riordan is not holding back. The “Percy Jackson” author ripped apart the movie adaptations of his books on Twitter today after a fan complained that Disney+ had censored a scene from Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, according to Vulture.

Riordan’s followers were thrilled to know that the author also hated the Percy Jackson films, which both received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and audiences alike. 2010’s The Lightning Thief only has a 50% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, while the second film, 2013’s Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, has an even bleaker critics’ score, at 42%.

But by reading Riordan’s tweets, it sounds like he thinks the films deserved even worse reviews. In fact, he would prefer they ceased to exist. Riordan began bashing the Percy Jackson films when he recommended Disney+ “censor the whole entire thing,” referring to The Lightning Thief. In its place, he suggested “just two hours of blank screen.”

Riordan went on to describe how it felt watching his books turn into films with an especially painful-sounding metaphor. “Well, to you guys, it’s a couple hours entertainment,” he tweeted. “To me, it’s my life’s work going through a meat grinder when I pleaded with them not to do it.”

With that, he hinted at the upcoming Percy Jackson series at Disney+, which he seems to be much more optimistic about. “But it’s fine. All fine. We’re gonna fix it soon …” he wrote. Riordan announced the live action series last month after years of fans begging for another adaptation.

While the author will be closely involved with his new Disney+ series, Riordan admitted he hasn’t even seen the pervious Percy Jackson movies. “[I] don’t plan on ever doing so,” he tweeted. “I judge them from having read the scripts, because I care most about the story.”

But he still has love for Percy Jackson himself, Logan Lerman, who played the titular character in both movies. “I certainly have nothing against the very talented actors,” Riordan wrote. “Not their fault. I’m just sorry they got dragged into that mess.”

Where to watch Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief