Disney has announced that Artemis Fowl – a live-action adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s long-running fantasy novels – won’t be coming to cinemas as originally intended due to the coronavirus, which has shuttered theaters across the world. Instead, it’ll debut as an exclusive for the Disney+ streaming service – a first for the studio.
“With audiences largely unable to attend theatres in the current environment, we are thrilled to offer the premiere of Artemis Fowl on Disney+,” said Ricky Strauss, president of Content & Marketing for Disney+ in a statement. “Director Kenneth Branagh and his spectacular cast take viewers right into the vibrant, fantasy world of the beloved book, which fans have been waiting to see brought to life onscreen for years. It’s great family entertainment that is the perfect addition to Disney+’s summer lineup.”
Here’s a summary of the film, which was directed by screen legend Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Hamlet, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Thor) and stars Ferdia Shaw as the titular character. Colin Farrell plays his father, the original Artemis Fowl.
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.