In the spring of 2009, Lerman was cast in the lead role of Percy Jackson in the film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, based on the book by Rick Riordan.[50] The movie was filmed in 2009 in Vancouver and was released in February 2010. Lerman has stated that he was not familiar with the book series when he received the script.[12] Regarding the similarities between Lerman's character and Harry Potter, Lerman told an interviewer: "Honestly, my character doesn't have much in common with Harry Potter besides the fact that he's an unlikely hero who's thrown into a huge situation".[8] Lerman is signed to appear in two more Percy Jackson films, and has stated that he would like to star in adaptations of all five books in the series (the second film is scheduled for release in March 2013).[12][51][52] Also in 2010, Lerman appeared in "Change the Odds", a public service announcement video for the Stand Up to Cancer charity; the video also featured Dakota Fanning, Zac Efron, Andrew Garfield, and other actors.[53]
Lerman is represented by the Creative Artists Agency.[54] During his teenage years, Lerman and his family had viewed his acting work as just a "hobby" before college; his parents had only become more comfortable with acting as a career in 2010.[4]
Lerman played d'Artagnan in director Paul W. S. Anderson's 3D film version of The Three Musketeers, which was filmed from August 2010 to November 2010, and was released in the U.S. on October 21, 2011.[55] Lerman was cast in the role without having to audition.[56] He trained in sword fighting for three months and wore hair extensions to portray d'Artagnan, whom he has described as "the most different character to me that I've ever played".[16][57] The film received negative reviews, with Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune writing that "Lerman already has done solid work... but he's a blank slate here".[58][59]
Lerman will next star in a film adaptation of Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, playing the lead role, Charlie; filming began in May 2011 and ended later that summer.[60][61][62] Lerman has described the film as a "life epic", and stated that he had been "torturing [himself] for... a few months in order to get inside Charlie's head".[16]
Lerman has signed on to star in The Only Living Boy in New York, an independent film written by Allan Loeb and to be directed by Seth Gordon; the story is a coming-of-age drama in which Lerman's character's father has an affair.[63] As of October 2011, a filming start date has not been set.[4]
