Jason Mantzoukas played the role of Dionysus in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which made its streaming debut on Disney+ on December 19, 2023. Mantzoukas is an actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer. In June, he was announced to be portraying Dionysus in the Disney+ series, based on the book by Rick Riordan.
According to Disney+, the synopsis for the series reads:
“Based on Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series by award-winning author Rick Riordan, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" is a Disney+ Original series that tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who's just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt.”
The synopsis continues:
“With help from his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus.”
Besides appearing in the Percy Jackson series, Jason is known for his roles in television shows and films. He has starred in films such as John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum (2019), The Dictator (2012), The Long Dumb Road (2018), They Came Together (2014), Conception (2011), Sleeping with Other People (2015), and more.
Who is Jason Mantzoukas? All about the actor appearing in the Percy Jackson series
Born on December 18, 1972, Jason Mantzoukas is known for being an actor, writer, comedian, and podcaster in Hollywood. Before becoming an actor, Mantzoukas explored his career by writing comedy sketches and performing short-form improvisational comedy during his college and school years.
In 2007, Mantzoukas starred in American Loser in a supporting role. Following that, he earned several roles in films such as Baby Mama (2008), I Hate Valentine’s Day (2009), Splinterheads (2009), and Please Give (2010).
He received a major role in the Larry Charles-directed The Dictator, which was released in 2012. The film featured Mantzoukas alongside Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, and Anna Faris.
In 2018, Jason played the lead role in the Hannah Fidell-directed road trip comedy film, The Long Dumb Road. He portrayed the role of Richard alongside Tony Revolori, who played the role of Nathan. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018.
Critics praised the performances of Mantzoukas and Revolori in the lead, with the film receiving a 75 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jason is also popular in the television industry for appearing in the FX sitcom The League, which aired for a total of seven seasons and 84 episodes from 2009 to 2015.
He also appeared in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I’m Sorry, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Parks and Recreation, and more. He starred in the main role in the comedy television series No Activity, which premiered on CBS All Access from 2017 to 2021.
In addition to acting, Mantzoukas has also worked as a voice actor in animated shows and films. His work includes Regular Show: The Movie, The Lego Batman Movie, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and America: The Motion Picture. He also hosts the podcast show, How Did This Get Made?
Currently, Jason Mantzoukas is playing the role of Dionysus in the latest Percy Jackson series. Dionysus is the director of Camp Half-Blood, where Percy Jackson and his friends Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood are trained.
The executive producer and director for the first two episodes, James Bobin's creative vision led to the decision to hire Mantzoukas as Dionysus. In an interview with We Got This Covered, Bobin stated that Jason was his choice, as he envisioned the character while reading Rick Riordan's books. Bobin told We Got This Covered,
“I hadn’t worked with him for a while. I know him, so he’s Mr. D. in my head.”
He further told We Got This Covered:
“That is a role I think he was born to play.”
Premiered on December 19, 2023, Percy Jackson and the Olympians opened to positive reviews from critics, with most of the praise for the proper adaptation of Rick Riordan’s book, the lead stars’ performances, and worldbuilding.
The Percy Jackson series stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri in lead roles. The show also has Virgina Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullally, and Tim Sharp in supporting roles.
The Disney+ show consists of eight episodes, with a total of four episodes released as of now. New episodes are released every week.