Idris Elba Praises Percy Jackson’s Leah Jeffries (Exclusive)

While the core trio of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians are relative unknown actors within the grand scheme of Hollywood, each has had the opportunity to star opposite some of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars. Leading man Walker Scobell shared the screen with Ryan Reynolds throughout 2021’s The Adam Project and worked alongside Owen Wilson in 2022’s Secret Headquarters. Grover Underwood actor Aryan Simhadri collaborated with Gabrielle Union in the latest adaptation of Cheaper by the Dozen. The daughter of Athena herself Leah Jeffries stood tall with Idris Elba in last summer’s Beast.

Speaking to ComicBook.com at the Luther: The Fallen Sun premiere, Elba gave praise to his former co-star, particularly applauding Jeffries’s on-screen abilities.

“Leah, I love you,” Elba said. “She’s an amazing person, great actor. We formed a little bond [during Beast].” 

While Beast hit theaters in August 2022, this Baltasar Kormákur-directed project ran its entire production back in Summer 2021, almost a full year before Jeffries was cast as Annabeth Chase in Disney+’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Rick Riordan’s best-selling novels. Elba admittedly had not spoken to Jeffries about Percy Jackson yet but offered his support towards her upcoming serialized endeavor.

“I feel bad because I haven’t spoken to her about [Percy Jackson], so don’t hate me, but I love you, well done,” Elba continued. “It’s really great to see someone get a fantastic role, especially when they’re talented. It’s just a lovely thing to see their careers grow.”

Percy Jackson wrapped filming this past February and is currently in post-production. The eight-episode season began shooting back in June 2022, taking to both a Vancouver-based Volume stage as well as real-life locations for its sets. 

Details surrounding the premise have been fairly transparent, as Percy Jackson Season 1 is set to bring the events of The Lightning Thief to life. Author and executive producer Rick Riordan has confirmed that popular events like the St. Louis Arch showdown, Percy’s battle with Ares, and field trips to both the Underworld and Olympus will be included in the show. It’s currently unclear as to when Percy Jackson and the Olympians will hit Disney+, but signs seem to be pointing towards an early 2024 release.

Luther: The Fallen Sun is now streaming on Netflix.