Artemis Fowl the movie is all set to drop on Disney+ after so many years in the development phase. The title is based on the 2001 novel of the same name.
Heads up to all the fans of Eoin Colfer’s 2001 book Artemis Fowl. His work is finally going to come to life in the form of a movie.
According to Comic Book, the live-action film will be available to stream on Disney+ beginning Friday, June 12.
It was originally planned for release in theaters, but the House of Mouse ultimately decided with a straight-to-streaming release.
Not exactly what the creators and producers had in mind, but due to the pandemic, they had to compromise.
Director Kenneth Branagh told EW, though, that despite the changes, he is content with how things worked out for the movie.
“It’s landed in a place where it should feel very at home,” Branagh said.
The long journey
Artemis Fowl had a 20-year journey before finally making it to the screen for public viewing. In the timeline breakdown of EW, Miramax was the first to nab the rights to Colfer’s novel.
It was in 2000, even before the book was published. But the road to the big screen was a roller coaster ride. It went through a “development hell” with directors come and go, the pitching, the scriptwriting process, and so on.
By 2013, Colfer almost gave up on it. It was also in the same year, though, that Disney announced their plan of making a movie with the first two books from the eight-book series.
In 2014, Branagh got to read the book while on vacation. “I’d read it with no idea of making a film, and I read it in the full glow of the enthusiasm of two boys who were the target audience of Eoin Colfer’s imagination,” Branagh says.
From there on, development was faster. In 2017, they started casting Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Nonso Anozie, Lara McDonnell, and Ferdia Shaw, who plays the titular character.
Possibilities of a sequel
Despite the relegation of the film, Branagh teased Comic Book the possibility of a film sequel. The upcoming science-fantasy adventure film is often compared to the Harry Potter franchise.
It opens up the possibility of Shaw growing up on screen, similar to how the world watched Daniel Radcliffe mature over time.
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“There is [a possibility], and, well, who knows?” Branagh says. “The audience decides, for sure, and I think there are lots of things that I think have immense potential.”
Branagh is confident of the material source for a sequel, but only time will tell if it will happen.
“The material’s there, the performers are great, and if the audience wants it, we’ll be coming back at them,” he said.
Artemis Fowl premieres on June 12 exclusively on Disney+.
Featured image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios/YouTube screenshot