Disney developing live-action adaptation of Artemis Fowl novels with producer Harvey Weinstein

July 29th 2013, 7:09pm

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The drive to find the next Harry Potter series of films continues, as Disney is set to adapt the first two young adult novels of ARTEMIS FOWL into a live-action film. Based on the books penned by Eoin Colfer, the feature will be produced by Harvey Weinstein, along with executive producers Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal with a script being written by Michael Goldenberg (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). The Artemis Fowl book series “currently has more than 21 million copies in print in 44 languages worldwide,” so I guess it’s kind of a big deal.

For those not in the know, here’s the breakdown of ARTEMIS FOWL:

Artemis Fowl is about a 12-year-old Artemis who is a millionaire, a genius – and above all, a criminal mastermind. But Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy (Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit) to harness her magic to save his family. These aren’t the fairies of the bedtime stories – they’re dangerous.

Weinstein seems to be pretty jazzed about the adaptation, saying:

“If you would have told me five years ago I would be producing a project with Disney I would have thought you were crazy,” said Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company. “I feel as though everything is coming full circle considering Bob DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal brought me this book while I was still at Miramax and within hours I told them I wanted the rights to the film. I am thrilled to be reunited with Alan Horn who I worked with while he was at Warner Bros. and we had tremendous success with The Aviator, Starsky and Hutch and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is also exciting to partner with friends Alan Bergman, Sean Bailey and of course Bob Iger who has been incredibly generous to me over the years. This is a special project for me because my children absolutely love this book. This story is for everyone and there is no one better than Disney to make a film that will excite people young and old.”

I’m not familiar with the books myself, but am familiar with them being popular with their demographic. Could this be the next Harry Potter or the next Percy Jackson? I know which one Disney is hoping for. No word on a projected release date, but we’ll keep you posted as this develops.