Skip to main content

Artemis Fowl movie nabs Thor director Kenneth Branagh

kenneth branagh artemis fowl movie
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Cinderella and Thor director Kenneth Branagh will reportedly helm the big-screen adaptation of Artemis Fowl, based on the wildly popular book series.

Fresh off a successful, live-action adaptation of Cinderella that earned more than $542 million worldwide, Branagh is expected to serve as both director and producer on the Artemis Fowl movie, according to The Tracking Board. The series follows a young, brilliant criminal mastermind who becomes entangled in the world of fairies and other supernatural creatures while attempting to restore his family’s fortune.

Author Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl first hit shelves in 2001 and kicked off a bestselling series that eventually spanned eight novels. Initially billed as “Die Hard with fairies,” the series followed its young, titular antihero through various adventures that had him fighting with and against a menagerie of magical creatures in furtherance of his criminal enterprises. The final book in the series, Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian, was released in 2012.

A big-screen adaptation of the series has been in the works almost since the first book was published, but had been shunted from one creative team to another as the rights changed hands and studio dynamics shifted over the last decade or so. This latest iteration of the project is set be to developed by Walt Disney Studios and The Weinstein Company, and the studio is now in search of a writer to revise (or possibly rewrite) the script for the film.

An unconfirmed 2013 report indicated that the Artemis Fowl movie would be based on the first and second installments of the series, Artemis Fowl and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, but it’s uncertain whether that will still be the case with Branagh joining the project.

The most recent draft of the Artemis Fowl script was penned by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix screenwriter Michael Goldenberg.

“This is a special project for me because my children absolutely love this book,” said producer Harvey Weinstein back in 2013 when the project seemed to be moving forward. “This story is for everyone and there is no one better than Disney to make a film that will excite people young and old.”

Branagh is expected to direct another big-screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery Murder on the Orient Express before moving on to Artemis Fowl.

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
The 18 best sitcoms on Netflix right now (December 2023)
Iain Armitage as Sheldon in Young Sheldon.

Sitcoms seem to be a dying breed on television, but the genre lives on thanks to Netflix in the form of original shows, as well as series from the past that have found a home at the streamer. This month's top new addition to the sitcom lineup is Young Sheldon, which was most recently streaming on Max. We're also putting a spotlight on two Netflix original sitcoms, Merry Happy Whatever and Blockbuster, as well as a former NBC sitcom, Great News.

Netflix is also the home for all-time great sitcoms like Seinfeld, Arrested Development, and Community, all of which you can find on our list of the best sitcoms on Netflix right now. And more sitcoms are coming in 2024 because Netflix is constantly adding new shows. So keep checking back as we update this list every month.

Read more
Where to watch the Christmas at Opry 2023 live stream
Wynonna Judd holds a guitar and performs a song.

Join Country Music Hall of Famer Wynonna Judd for Christmas at the Opry, a two-hour musical event featuring "Christmas favorites, holiday classics, and today's biggest hits." Christmas at the Opry was filmed at the iconic Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.

Judd will host the event and sing a special duet of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree with Brenda Lee, who recorded the original version in 1958. Other performers set to grace the stage and sing during the special include Adam Doleac, Breland, Chris Janson, Chrissy Metz, Kelly Clarkson, Lauren Alaina, Meghan Patrick, Michelle Tenpenny, Mickey Guyton, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Trace Adkins.
Watch the Christmas at the Opry live stream on NBC

Read more
Where to watch Sleepless in Seattle
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle

Fans don't really need a reason to revisit Sleepless in Seattle beyond the fact that it's one of the best romantic comedies ever made. The film also has its fair share of drama, as Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) and his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), mourn for their wife and mother, respectively. Because Jonah wants his dad to be happy, he calls into a nationally syndicated radio show to share his story, which captures the attention and the imagination of Annie Reed (Meg Ryan). Annie is very intrigued by Sam's plight regardless of the fact that she's already engaged to Walter Jackson (Bill Pullman).

Thanks largely to this film, Hanks and Ryan are considered rom-com royalty. The irony is that they share very little screen time together. This movie shouldn't work as well as it does, but few romantic comedies have matched its success. It's just a classic, and we're here to tell you where you can stream Sleepless in Seattle.
Where is Sleepless in Seattle streaming?

Read more