Summary

• Daughter of the Deep, a sci-fi adaptation by Rick Riordan, was axed due to budget issues, despite a strong script and team.
• The film would have featured high-stakes underwater expeditions with Iron-Man-level gadgets, advanced VFX, and a dolphin companion.
• Despite setbacks, Riordan fans can look forward to the renewed Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series on Disney+.

Rick Riordan, acclaimed author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series and writer/creator of its TV counterpart, had a new adaptation in development at Disney+ get axed. The project was called Daughter of the Deep, based on his novel of the same name. The story took place outside the Riordanverse and was more sci-fi-leaning than fantasy. It in itself was an adaptation of sorts, a reimagining of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.

This comes shortly after another one of Rick Riordan's TV series, Kane Chronicles, was shelved by Netflix. These calls have left many fans scratching their heads – especially since Percy Jackson was such a massive success. Riordan himself was less bemused. He posted this on his website about the news:

"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."

He goes into detail about the present state of the film industry and how a mandate to cut costs has led to an overall contraction. In other words, we'll see reduced output now from all the studios, particularly projects requiring a lot of CGI, etc., which are therefore more expensive. Daughter of the Deep was that type of project. So what would we have seen in the film had it seen the light of day? What is Daughter of the Deep about? And could there have been any way to make it for less?

What Is Daughter of the Deep About?

Daughter of the Deep is about a 15-year-old named Ana Dakkar who attends a boarding school of sorts for future "marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers." Recently orphaned, the pressure to remain in good academic standing so that she can stay at Harding-Pencroft Academy is only exceeded by her desire to cling to her last remaining relative and her chosen family.

One day, on a school trip, she and the rest of her freshman class witness a terrible tragedy that completely alters their course. The professor accompanying them contextualizes this tragedy with information about a rival school named Land Institute, with whom they've been in a cold war for over a century. To add to that, the more she learns about her family's legacy and involvement in her school, the more she realizes she has a role to play in this conflict.

Little is known about the movie version of Daughter since it never made it past pre-production. What we do know is that, in addition to Riordan, the script was penned by Aditi Brennan Kapil. Kapil is a screenwriter whose past credits include American Gods and Jack Ryan. The fact that her heritage resembles the protagonist's and that she's worked on other action series with science fiction or mythical elements meant that the script would surely be infused with authenticity and a larger-than-life quality. Both are key to a story about one's family lineage and the world-changing discoveries and inventions they've made. We also know that the film was meant to be a one-off, but with enough demand, Riordan would've created a sequel, according to Laughing Place.

Daughter of the Deep's Coolest Features Were Probably Its Priciest, Too

Daughter of the Deep takes Ana and her class seaward on a high-stakes expedition. There's the logistical challenge of filming on a boat or building a very large boat set, but then that boat is also meant to contain Iron Man levels of advanced weaponry and built-in gadgets...and the same goes for the submarines and facilities on land in the story, too. The VFX demands would be quite extreme to achieve this. Then there's the fact that Ana has a dolphin companion who follows her wherever she goes. That dolphin would either have to be rendered through CGI, or a real dolphin would have to be brought to set, trained, and looked after, which seems highly unlikely.

Based on information recorded by Humane Hollywood about the 1996 film Flipper, we know that three real dolphins were supplied. These dolphins were then on a special shooting schedule based on what was best for them. They were given regular days off and housed in three large pens with a security guard and a dolphin specialist constantly monitoring them. The Fisheries Department of the Bahamas inspected the facility, and various humane societies also conducted regular spot inspections.

Transporting the dolphins to and from filming locations required a delicate process, too. A specially designed wooden frame was used, and veterinarians and trainers were on hand in support boats during these moves. This is, of course, just scratching the surface of this $25 million ($50 million when adjusted for inflation) production. To add this dolphin-tending aspect with all the other production/post-production demands for Daughter of the Deep, one can see how the numbers would rack up.

Fortunately, Riordan fans won't have to wait another decade to see his material adapted from the page to the screen. Percy Jackson and the Olympians has been renewed for Season 2, with the development process already underway and shooting set to begin this fall.