The long and winding road
After close to two decades, Artemis Fowl hits screen
How long did it take the film adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s fantasy novel Artemis Fowl to go from announcement to completion? Long enough that the author had time to write eight more books, plus some plays, a musical, graphic novels and a sequel to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Long enough for the film’s eventual stars to be born and grow into young adults.
Long enough for Colfer to abandon all hope of ever seeing
it happen. “I gave up after about 10 years of back and forth, two or three directors and several screenplays,” says the Irish author, reached at his home in Dublin.
“I was putting too much time into looking forward to it and worrying about it ... so I decided ... if it happens eventually it’s a bonus, but it probably won’t.”
In 2001, Canadian director Lawrence Guterman was tapped to direct the film adaptation of the then-new novel. By 2011, Ireland’s Jim Sheridan was attached to direct, with Saoirse Ronan being considered for the role of Holly Short.
“And then about three years ago Kenneth Branagh called me up and kind of ripped off the Band-Aid and we started up again. And I think it made it worse that it was Kenneth Branagh, because he was so perfect for it, and I was still convinced it wasn’t going to happen ... But it didn’t.”
But Artemis Fowl had a few more “hiccups,” on the way to its eventual release on the Disney+ streaming service.
“First of all it was coming out last August, and then Disney bought Fox and it got shoved out another year, and then of course the coronavirus happened and it’s gone on to Disney+, but I think that’s the best thing in the circumstances.”
Better than not happening at all. Newcomer Ferdia Shaw is in the title role and the cast of Artemis Fowl includes such heavyweights as Colin Farrell, Josh Gad and Judi Dench.
But the real breakout is 16-year-old Lara McDonnell as Holly Short.
“She’s a star,” Colfer enthuses. “I’d seen her in Matilda, she played Matilda in the West End. We’ll have to get her to sing somehow.”
In a sequel, perchance? Colfer is hopeful. “If this movie does enough to make the name Artemis Fowl one that people know, I think we’ll very quickly know whether there’s going to be a sequel.”