First Artemis Fowl trailer teases the young criminal genius’ arrival

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

From CAPTAIN MARVEL to STAR WARS EPISODE IX, Disney has about a dozen surefire hits in their lineup for next year – and the one wild card in the crowd is next summer’s ARTEMIS FOWL. Based on the popular series of children’s fantasy books, FOWL follows a 12-year-old criminal mastermind who uses his genius to gain money through various criminal means (as his family has done for generations), and in this tale has kidnapped a fairy in hopes of finding his father. The first teaser for the movie from Kenneth Branagh (THOR, CINDERELLA) is here with plenty of gadgets, snappy VFX, and a slick MEN IN BLACK-esque Artemis (Ferdia Shaw) walking towards the screen like he’s too cool for school. But seriously, he is.

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The movie adaptation of the books has been in what the kids call “development hell” since the rights were attained back in 2001 when the first book was released. After countless starts and stops, Disney had gone and got it done, with newcomer Shaw in the title role and Hong Chau, Nonso Anozie, Josh Gad, Miranda Raison, and Judi Dench filling out the supporting cast. Michael Goldenberg (HARRY POTTER 5, GREEN LANTERN), Adam Kline and Conor McPherson are behind the script, with Branagh and Judy Hoffland producing. 

Clearly, this is intended as a new franchise for Disney, as there are several more books in the series, but only time will tell if the series has what it takes to make the big bucks, or if it will go the way of JOHN CARTER and TOMORROWLAND. It’s been a few years since the books have been in the spotlight, with countless YA adaptations stealing attention, but there’s still a fanbase, no doubt. Branagh is the one giving me hope it will be an above-average fantasy outing, so this will be an interesting one to watch out for.

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Here's the synopsis:

Disney’s “Artemis Fowl,” 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.

ARTEMIS FOWL is out August 9, 2019.