What to Know About EPIC — If You Haven’t Followed the Viral Musical’s Creation on TikTok for Years
Jorge Rivera-Herrans released a small sample of ‘EPIC: The Musical’ on TikTok in 2021. Then, it became a social media phenomenon.
EPIC: The Musical was certainly an epic undertaking. The viral, sung-through musical adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey began as Jorge Rivera-Herrans’ thesis during his senior year at the University of Notre Dame — and since then, it has taken on a life of its own.
“I’m currently writing an even bigger passion project: EPIC,” he first shared on Instagram in February 2020. “It’s a musical adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey and holy cow it’s a lot of fun.”
Almost one full year later, in January 2021, the singer-songwriter released a one-minute snippet of the song “Full Speed Ahead” on TikTok, and it quickly went viral.
Rivera-Herrans’ EPIC is now officially being developed into an animated movie musical with the help of famed producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
If you haven’t been following along for years now — watching as Rivera-Herrans developed, cast and produced EPIC for his loyal social media fanbase — BroadwayWorld breaks down everything to know about the viral musical sensation.
What Is ‘EPIC: The Musical’ About?
EPIC: The Musical is the brainchild of Jorge Rivera-Herrans, and it began during his time at the University of Notre Dame. According to EPIC’s website, Rivera-Herrans was studying medicine until “his passion called too loudly to ignore.”
Rivera-Herrans used the project as his senior thesis as an “excuse to work on it in class, applying for grants to venture to Ithaca where he would conduct research in-person.” However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to move into an apartment with his mom and dad, and the musical’s developmental process via social media began.
EPIC is based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem the Odyssey, which tells the story of Odysseus as he embarks on his epic journey home to Ithaca from Troy after the decade-long Trojan War.
The musical is broken up into nine EPs, or sagas, which were released over the course of five years. They are: The Troy Saga, The Cyclops Saga, The Ocean Saga, The Circe Saga, The Underworld Saga, The Thunder Saga, The Wisdom Saga, The Vengeance Saga and The Ithaca Saga.
To date, EPIC’s songs have amassed billions of streams.
How Did Jorge Rivera-Herrans Cast ‘EPIC: The Musical’?
Since Jorge Rivera-Herrans’ first TikTok post about EPIC: The Musical in 2021, the singer-songwriter began documenting the creation of the contemporary sung-through concept musical in real time. He used platforms such as TikTok and Instagram as well as the communication app Discord and fundraising platform Patreon to share song samples, updates and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
As Rivera-Herrans sought to fill out his cast on demos of the project, he began casting via social media. In some TikTok clips, the songwriter advertised a casting call and performed a short sample, giving notes like: “In my head, Calypso is a little sensual but playful; have fun and be yourself!” He followed that up with an instrumental version to duet and later shared some of his favorite auditions.
In an October 2023 Instagram post, Rivera-Herrans offered insight into his casting process. After looking through submissions sent to him via social media or email, Rivera-Herrans offered callbacks to those he was interested in. Callbacks, he said, would entail a Zoom meeting to discuss the character and provide feedback on their initial performance.
Rivera-Herrans would then reveal casting via social media.
Who Is in the Cast of ‘EPIC: The Musical’?
Among the performers who have lended their voice to EPIC: The Musical over the course of its journey are Jorge Rivera-Herrans (Odysseus, Lotus-eaters, Polyphemus, Cyclopes, Winions, ensemble), Luke Holt (Zeus, Elpenor, ensemble), Armando Julián (Eurylochus, ensemble), Steven Dookie (Polites), Teagan Earley (Athena, ensemble), Ayron Alexander (Perimedes, Antinous, ensemble), Kira Stone (Aeolus), Anna Lea (Penelope, Sirens), Miguel Veloso (Telemachus), Steven Rodriguez (Poseidon), Talya Sindel (Circe, ensemble) Troy Doherty (Hermes, ensemble), Wanda Herrans (Anticlea), Mason Olshavsky (Tiresias), KJ Burkhauser (Scylla), Barbara Wangui (Calypso), Brandon McInnis (Apollo), Mike Rivera (Hephaestus), Janani K. Jha (Aphrodite), Earle Gresham Jr. (Ares), Sarah “Poesy” Botelho (Hera), Diana Rivera-Herrans (Princess Winion), Dennis Diaz (Eurymachus, ensemble), Tristan Caldwell (Amphinomus, ensemble) and Jamie Wiltshire (Melanthius, ensemble).
Over the course of its creation, as BroadwayWorld previously reported, EPIC: The Musical was recorded at Estudio 13 in Mexico City, Mexico; Quad Studios in New York, New York; and JP Warner Sound in Los Angeles, California.
The voice cast for the animated movie musical spearheaded by producer Jerry Bruckheimer has not yet been announced.
Where Can You Watch ‘EPIC: The Musical’?
Before EPIC: The Musical is fully produced as an animated movie, you can watch various versions on YouTube that feature animated scenes accompanying the score, which includes 40 songs.
As the project was being developed, creator Jorge Rivera-Herrans spoke about how he wanted to write a musical “that feels like a video game” and is inspired by his other passions, including animation and anime.
In a 2025 interview with YouTube’s official blog, the creator explained how visual elements came to life with the help of his fans all over the world via the internet. “When we were releasing the Ocean Saga, I wanted to do something special, so I reached out to [artist] Wolfy the Witch, who had done a lot of beautiful animatics around EPIC and asked her to create the official trailer for the concept album.”
“Even now, for the visuals we’re collaborating with the community,” he continued. “So it got to the point where with every saga, we were casting people who were fans of EPIC and we were commissioning visual artists who were fans of EPIC, and what made it so cool was that everyone was so passionate about the process.”
When Will ‘EPIC: The Musical’ Be Released?
Currently, a release date for EPIC: The Musical, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, has not been announced.
Will There Be Another Musical in the ‘EPIC’ Universe?
Yes! Creator Jorge Rivera-Herrans is already at work on a sequel titled ILIUM. Before he officially announced in June 2025 that he was “back in business” with his next project, fans asked him if he was going to write a musical based on Homer’s other epic poem, Iliad.
“Originally, when I started writing EPIC — before it was even called EPIC — one of my original intentions was to have Act I cover the Iliad and Act II cover the Odyssey,” he explained via a social media video. “And as you know, I ended up choosing the Odyssey.”
Rivera-Herrans said he wanted to “focus on one” of Homer’s poems and “dial in” on Odysseus as a character. But after finishing EPIC, he said there are cut songs from the project he thinks about that may live in the world of an Iliad musical, set toward the end of the Trojan War.
In a July 9, 2025, update on Discord, he told his loyal fanbase, “Hello my friends!! Welcome to a new chapter in our journey!!!” Since then — like with EPIC — Rivera-Herrans has given his fanbase constant updates on the project, including song titles, how they’re coming along and even how the music and lyrics are evolving.
Is ‘EPIC: The Musical’ Coming to Broadway?
Well, that’s TBD. While no plans for a stage adaptation have officially been announced, Jorge Rivera-Herrans spoke about his hopes and dreams for the project in his 2025 interview on the YouTube blog.
“I think a lot of people hear the word musical and then understandably assume that the goal is Broadway,” he said. “I’m not necessarily opposed to the idea, but I wouldn’t say that’s my main goal for several reasons.”
At the time, he said he hoped to see a “fully animated film version” — which is now in the works — because “there are so many character moments that I’d love to see acted out in a live action adaptation.”
He also said there are “big scenes that I’d love to see in a Cirque style stage production,” adding: “I’m also super excited about the idea of a video game that expands on the world of EPIC. I know it sounds crazy, but EPIC sounded crazy too before I wrote it. I feel that there’s so much fun to be had on so many different mediums and we’ve only just scratched the surface.”
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