Lin-Manuel Miranda to Appear on Disney+’s Series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”

Lin-Manuel Miranda is playing messenger

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, filmmaker, composer and lyricist has landed a key guest-starring role on Disney+’s upcoming series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Based on Rick Riordan’s bestselling book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson (Walter Scobell), who’s just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.

Miranda, who is a fan of the Percy Jackson books along with his son, will play Hermes, the messenger god who looks out for travelers and thieves, and is a bit of a trickster himself. He is charismatic & boisterous, the life of the party. Unfortunately, his charm does not do much to heal his strained relationship with his son, Luke (Charlie Bushnell). He’s hesitant to help Percy and his friends on their quest as sometimes getting involved is more trouble than it’s worth.

In addition to series regulars Scobell, Simhadri, Jeffries and Bushnell, Miranda joins previously announced guest stars Megan Mullally, Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Timm Sharp, Dior Goodjohn, Olivea Morton, Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer and Jessica Parker Kennedy.

The series is currently in production in Vancouver and is expected to premiere exclusively on Disney+ in 2024.

Riordan and Jon Steinberg wrote the pilot, and James Bobin directs.

Miranda is a Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning songwriter, actor, director and producer. Creator and original star of Broadway’s Tony-winning Hamilton and In the Heights, his additional Broadway credits include Freestyle Love SupremeBring It On: The Musical and the 2009 revival of West Side Story. His TV and film credits include tick, tick… BOOM!, Vivo, the feature adaptation of In the HeightsEmmy-winning Hamilton, His Dark Materials, Fosse/Verdon, We The People and Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Miranda earned guest actor Emmy nominations for Curb Your Enthusiasm and as host of Saturday Night Live, and Oscar nominations for Best Original Song for Moana, Mary Poppins Returns and most recently Encanto.

Season Three of Lindsay Mendez’s Courtroom Drama “All Rise” to Premiere in June on OWN

Lindsay Mendez will be OWNing the summer…

Oprah Winfrey Network announced that courtroom drama series All Rise, featuring the 39-year-old half-Mexican American actress, singer and Broadway star, will return for a third season on Tuesday, June 7 at 8:00 pm ET/PT on OWN.

The All Rise season three all-star cast includes Simone Missick as ‘Judge Lola Carmichael,’ Wilson Bethel as Judge Carmichael’s best friend, Deputy District Attorney ‘Mark Callan,’ Jessica Camacho as public defender ‘Emily Lopez,’ J. Alex Brinson as bailiff-turned-public defender ‘Luke Watkins,’ Ruthie Ann Miles as Lola’s J.A. ‘Sherri Kansky,’ Mendez as court reporter ‘Sara Castillo,’ Lindsey Gort as defense attorney ‘Amy Quinn’ and Marg Helgenberger as ‘Judge Lisa Benner.’

Recurring cast also includes Samantha Marie Ware as law clerk Vanessa “Ness” Johnson, Paul McCrane as Judge Jonas Laski, and Suzanne Cryer as Deputy District Attorney Maggie Palmer.

All Rise is a courthouse drama that follows the chaotic, hopeful, and sometimes absurd lives of its judges, prosecutors, and public defenders, as they work with bailiffs, clerks, and police to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal system. Among them is ‘Judge Lola Carmichael’ (Missick), a highly regarded and impressive former deputy district attorney who has shown she doesn’t intend to sit back on the bench, but instead leans in, pushing the boundaries and challenging the expectations of what a judge can be.

Season three of the show picks up six months after the events of the sophomore finale and will bring about new beginnings for these judges, prosecutors and public defenders. We return on election night as Judge Carmichael (Missick) awaits the results of her campaign; Emily (Camacho) returns from Puerto Rico with renewed drive and purpose about her career and Luke (Brinson) continues to shake things up through his work in the public defender’s office.

Star Wilson Bethel will make his directorial debut on an upcoming episode of the show slated to air this summer. Bethel joins fellow actor McCrane (Judge Laski) in stepping behind the lens, as McCrane will again direct an episode following the previous four he helmed in prior seasons. Bethel and McCrane join the directorial lineup including showrunner and executive Dee Harris-Lawrence, executive producer Michael M. Robin, Marie Jamora (Queen Sugar), Lionel Coleman (NCIS: New Orleans), Rob Greenlea (Madam Secretary), Neema Barnette (Black Lightning), Mo McCrae (All Rise) and David Harp (All Rise). This season, Adrian Younge (Luke Cage) joins as Composer and Natalie Montgomery returns as the Music Supervisor.

All Rise is produced by Warner Bros. Television. The series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at both the 2021 NAACP Image Awards and the Black Reel Awards for Television in 2020.

The first two seasons of All Rise are available to stream on HBO Max and Hulu.