Artemis Fowl and the 20-year odyssey
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 after about 10 years, listen, forget this, just do your books, and 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. Harvey Weinstein as producer came and went.
“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 … after a year maybe it’s just going to collapse again. “But it didn’t.”
So it is. But Artemis Fowl had a few more “hiccups,” as Colfer describes them, on the way to its eventual release on the Disney+ streaming service on June 12.
“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. And in addition to Branagh as director and newcomer Ferdia Shaw in the title role, the cast of Artemis Fowl includes such Hollywood heavyweights as Colin Farrell, Josh Gad and Judi Dench. But the real breakout is 16-yearold Lara McDonnell as Holly Short, an Elf and a captain in the Lower Elements Police, or LEP.
In a sequel, perchance? Colfer is hopeful. “It’s all about the recognizable name, and 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.”
McDonnell and Shaw were both born in Dublin, as was head writer Conor McPherson. But not everyone involved is from the island of Ireland. Dench is from northern England, but does a great turn as Commander Root, Holly’s no-nonsense boss. I suggest to Colfer there was a bit of M from James Bond in the character.
“For me it’s M meets David Bowie, this kind of rock ’n’ roll M, which I really like,” he says. “What I like about what she’s done there is that character in the book is not really funny. But she just takes it in this darkly funny direction, where even though she’s saying horrible things she has this kind of twinkle in her eye.”Case in point, her delivery of the phrase: “Top o’ the mornin’,” which is a showstopper.