After years of development at the studio, Walt Disney Pictures has announced the initial casting for their live-action adaptation of the book Artemis Fowl, which has Kenneth Branagh (Murder on the Orient Express, Cinderella) attached to direct.
The search for an actor to play Artemis Fowl was extensive, with casting director Lucy Bevan seeing over 1200 candidates for the part. In the end, Branagh chose Irish newcomer Ferdia Shaw, who will make his onscreen debut in the title role. Descended from a long line of criminal masterminds, 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl finds himself in a battle of strength and cunning against a powerful, hidden race of fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance.
Joining Shaw in the film will be Josh Gad (Murder on the Orient Express, Beauty and the Beast) in the role of Mulch Diggums, a kleptomaniacal dwarf who works for the fairies—and himself; Academy Award winner Judi Dench (Victoria & Abdul, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Skyfall) in the role of Commander Root, the steely leader of the fairy police force (LEPrecon); Lara McDonnell (The Delinquent Season, The Walk Invisible) as Captain Holly Short, the elf hero; and Nonso Anozie (Cinderella, Ender’s Game) as Butler, Artemis Fowl’s formidable bodyguard.
Based on the bestselling book series by Eoin Colfer and with a screenplay by award-winning playwright Conor McPherson, Artemis Fowl is slated for release in U.S. theaters on August 9, 2019. Production will begin early next year in the U.K.
