Oh, Disney you tease. Today the Walt Disney Pictures released a poster image and a teaser trailer for its upcoming Artemis Fowl movie which comes to theaters late next summer.
Based on the Artemis Fowl book series by author Eoin Colfer, the new movie follows Fowl, a 12-year-old genius on his journey to find the answer to his father’s disappearance.
The story is an odd one with Fowl being a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds, and if that wasn’t bad enough he needs to face a group of hidden but powerful fairies who might have the answer to Artemis’ missing father.
The first science fiction fantasy novel was published in 2001. Since then, Colfer has written seven more installments ending with Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian in 2012. In addition, the traditional novels have also been turned into graphic novels.
It was as early as 2001 when Miramax Films purchased the rights to the story with plans to have Lawrence Guterman direct the film version of the first story.
Two years later it was announced that a screenplay had been written and casting for roles was about to begin however it stayed in development hell until 2011 when news came that Jim Sheridan was considering directing the movie.
Then in 2013, Walt Disney Pictures stated that they were working on a film based on the first two novels and it would be produced by Disney and The Weinstein Company.
In 2015, Branagh was brought on to direct the film but in 2017 Disney announced that Harvey Weinstein was removed from the project altogether due to his sexual misconduct controversy. Principal photography began in March of this year in England, Northern Ireland and Ho Chi Minh City.
With a screenplay written by Conor McPherson and the film directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film stars Ferdia Shaw as Artemis Fowl, Judi Dench as Commander Root, Josh Gad as Mulch Diggums, Lara McDonnell as Captain Holly Short and Nonso Anozie as Butler. Branagh directed Disney’s live action version of Cinderella in 2015.
Disney’s Artemis Fowl will be released in theaters on August 9, 2019.