One of the biggest successes on Disney+ in the past few years has been the original series, “Percy Jackson and The Olympians”, which debuted late last year and became a big ratings hit.  The series has already been renewed for a second season, and filming is set to begin later this year.

But “Percy Jackson” wasn’t the only project the creator, Rick Riordan has been working on, as he was creating a new series for Netflix based on his popular “The Kane Chronicles” books and a new film for Disney+ based on his new book, ‘Daughter Of The Deep.’

However, this week, Rick revealed on his blog that the rights for the “The Kane Chronicles” series have now reverted back to him since Netflix took too long to make the series. Rick also confirmed that ‘Daughter Of The Deep’ is no longer in development for Disney+, with the rights also returning to him.

Similarly, Daughter of the Deep rights have reverted to me after being in script development as a feature at Disney+. There was no issue with the script or the team. I loved everyone we were working with! It was simply a budgetary call, as I understand it, and Daughter would be an expensive film to make. I know these kind of setbacks are disappointing to fans, but they are common in the film industry, and happen more times than not. Getting anything made, even in the best of times, is monstrously difficult. I have gained a lot of respect for the producers, executives and writers who manage to navigate the rapids and get projects through. I don’t know what the future holds for Daughter. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. 

“Daughter Of The Deep” was originally released in bookstores in October 2021 and tells the story of Ana Dakkar, who is a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world. Ana’s parents died while on a scientific expedition two years ago, and the only family she’s got left is her older brother, Dev, also a student at HP. Ana’s freshman year culminates with the class’s weekend trial at sea, the details of which have been kept secret. She only hopes she has what it’ll take to succeed. All her worries are blown out of the water when, on the bus ride to the ship, Ana and her schoolmates witness a terrible tragedy that will change the trajectory of their lives.

But wait, there’s more. The professor accompanying them informs Ana that their rival school, Land Institute, and Harding-Pencroft have been fighting a cold war for a hundred and fifty years. Now that the Cold War has been turned up to a full boil, the freshmen are in danger of becoming fish food. In a race against deadly enemies, Ana will make amazing friends and astounding discoveries about her heritage as she puts her leadership skills to the test for the first time.

It’s unfortunate that the development of a “Daughter Of The Deep” film has stopped, but it should come as no major surprise, since Disney has been cutting back on lots of projects to save money.  Plus, Disney is refocusing its movie output on theatrical releases, rather than straight to streaming films.

The only good thing is that this might help Rick focus his attention on making the new season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”.

What do you think of Disney no longer making a “Daughter Of The Deep” film?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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