Disney’s newest offering may just be the story young people need to capture that Potterverse magic that JK Rowling tapped into in the 90s. Artemis Fowl is the little film based on the wildly popular YA series by Eoin Colfer. Director Kenneth Branagh was tapped to helm this mega project, making it as Irish as Black Panther is Black. This is just one interesting fact revealed on the set of Artemis Fowl in interviews with Branagh. Here are five more things you need to know about that film before it hits theaters August 9, 2019.
Get ready for an Irish explosion.
This science fiction and fantasy film was created by Irishman Colfer, will be directed by a Northern Ireland guy in Branagh, and will star two Irish actors. Ferdia Shaw will play 12-year-old Artemis and Lara McDonnell is his fairy foil. The film is shot primarily in Ireland as well. Black Panther was a sci-fi and fantasy film directed by a Black man, about Black superheroes, set in an imaginary African nation, and Oakland. We will just see if that alone is a recipe for success.
This is not your average tale.
Disney describes the film as, “based on the beloved book by Eoin Colfer, is a fantastical, spellbinding adventure that follows the journey of 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl, a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds, as he seeks to find his father who has mysteriously disappeared. With the help of his loyal protector Butler, Artemis sets out to find him, and in doing so uncovers an ancient, underground civilization—the amazingly advanced world of fairies. Deducing that his father’s disappearance is somehow connected to the secretive, reclusive fairy world, cunning Artemis concocts a dangerous plan—so dangerous that he ultimately finds himself in a perilous war of wits with the all-powerful fairies.”
Branagh drew storytelling inspiration from the Corleones.
He told reporters that he found parallels between the Fowl family and the Corleones, which helped in finding an approach to the story.
“I look at the masters, the great classics…a story shape that I found interesting as we were considering this was The Godfather, where Michael Corleone, as you may recall at the beginning of the first film, although part of a family he knows to be involved in business, he’s been in the services and he’s not entirely aware of exactly what dad does.”
Branagh explained that the moment of “innocence lost” is The Godfather fit young Artemis so very well. So, the story becomes a model for the Artemis Fowl narrative.
Branagh is the best pick for directing the film.
He has acted in blockbuster films like the first Harry Potter film. He has directed films with have budgets as well, like Thor and one of the Jack Ryan films. This is not even his first Irish narrative. Branagh had more than enough experience and success to helm the project.
This could be the first in a long series.
Like the Harry Potter series, Artemis is more than a one-book series. There are 14 books, actually — plenty to draw on if the franchise takes off. If audiences enjoy this film next summer, then fans can settle in for a long ride.
Artemis Fowl releases August 9, 2019, but you can stay tuned to BGN for more info about the film as they become available.
