Artemis Fowl Janice Butler chats to director Kenneth Branagh as Eoin Colfer’s megahit character comes to Disney +
As Artemis Fowl, the movie, finally makes an appearance this week on Disney +, Janice Butler recalls her visit to the set in London, where she met the movie’s charming director, Kenneth Branagh
Artemis Fowl, the movie, has been long awaited. I was lucky enough to see the set up close and personal is 2018. The movie was due for release last summer and got pushed to this summer, however, it fell foul (excuse the pun) of the worldwide pandemic which has shut cinemas and is now being released straight to the new streaming giant, Disney +. The film, based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Irish author, Eoin Colfer and directed by Kenneth Branagh, is hoping to be the next Harry Potter style franchise. Whether it will have that level of success remains to be seen but if the set is anything to go by, they are certainly banking on it. While the story is rooted in Ireland, the set is based less than an hour outside London, on a former military base in Surrey. It’s an impressive site, with structures, especially Fowl Manor, built to last (seven years was the brief).
For those who aren’t familiar with the books, Artemis Fowl tells the story of a 12-year-old boy genius who is descended from a long line of criminal masterminds. When his father is kidnapped, Artemis devises a plan to steal the necessary ransom from an ancient civilisation – the incredibly advanced and secret underground world of fairies. Soon after, Artemis’ home, Fowl Manor, comes under attack by the fairies and he must team up with his servant, a dwarf, and an elf in order to fend off the siege. The movie stars Kilkenny newcomer Ferdia Shaw (who beat thousands to the role) as the young Artemis. We also have Colin Farrell as his father; Nonso Anozie as the Fowl family’s loyal servant, Butler; Lara McDonnell as the elf, Holly Short; Josh Gad as Mulch Diggums, a dwarf; and the legendary Judi Dench as Commander Root.
“It’s a delicious story, populated by so many wonderful characters,” explains the film’s co-writer, Hamish McColl. In terms of bringing such a magical and original world to life on screen, the team, many of whom have worked with Branagh before, went for a mix of sprawling sets as he likes free-flowing action in his movies and of course the very latest in digital design. As for Fowl Manor, the family home, which is key to the story, originally, the plan had been to scout locations in Ireland, but it quickly became apparent to opt for a set design. And not just any set, but a real house constructed as any real home would be. It’s insulated, heated,soundproofed and has its own Wi-Fi; all it’s missing is running water in the bathrooms – it would do well on the Dublin property market. For the look of Fowl Manor, Production Designer,
It’s taken quite some time to find the balance between humour, emotion and magic
Jim Clay, explained that they wanted something that wasn’t necessarily what you’d expect to find in rural Ireland: they didn’t want the ‘already-been-done Irish castle’.
“The first book is rooted in the family home, Fowl Manor. My brief for that home was that it’s historic, set in rural Ireland, it’s eccentric, it isn’t necessarily of the vernacular of Ireland - we actually researched many parts of Europe including Eastern Europe and Spain to look at different house styles. We did think of finding a location for the house but building it as a back-lot set became the apparent answer.”
Inside the house, there are a few pieces that were custom built for the movie, like a huge sofa created to look like a charging bull and a giant chandelier. The rest of the furniture and props seen within Fowl Manor, however, were all purchased by Set Decorator Celia Bobak. This includes everything from the toys in Artemis’ bedroom to a stunning kitchen that you’d happily cook in. “We like to think we’ve built a nice piece of real estate with state-of-the-art sound stage,” laughs Jim Clay.
One of the other key highlights from the set is Haven city, the futuristic underworld of the fairies. “A lot of action takes place in the Lower Elements Police Headquarters which was also specially built - the control centre is there and then we’ve merged it with blue screen so it is finished digitally.” On the day of the set visit I get to meet Kenneth Branagh as the crew and cast took a break in filming in Fowl Manor, in a library room that homes 12,000 real books; it’s all in the details. Here, he explains why he took the project on and what it was about Ferdia that landed him the role.
What were your hopes initially, taking on a project as big as this?
I hope the film is like the books; very rapid, punchy and pacey. One of the ways in which Eoin manages to keep us intrigued by a series of improbable things, is that he moves at a pace that, even if you disagree with the conception, you are thrilled by the execution of his stories. We also move rapidly and I think the humour, the humanity and the emotion beneath it all moves very lightly. As I get older, I’m a fan of shorter and shorter movies and having inflicted some very long films on people over the years, like Hamlet, I’ve decided that 90-minute movies are where it’s at.
Did you consult Eoin Colfer much on the movie?
We’ve talked a little, not a lot but it’s been very friendly, he’s been here to the set a few times. His face lit up when he walked into this house. We had to change small things from the book but that’s more to introduce movie viewers to it, especially for the first instalment; it will be the first time a lot of people hear of this world. So when we told him our ideas, he said; “God I wish I thought of that.”
How did you go from Murder on the Orient Express Artemis – what was the decision there?
to
Artemis has been something I’ve been developing for three years now. My nephews were reading the books about a year before that, we were all on holiday together and they said ‘you should have a look at this’ and I did. Then I was approached about doing the movie – there had been some scripts and developments up until that point and they asked would I be willing to take it on. Even though there’s something brilliant at the centre of this story that Eoin’s done, translating it into film has been challenging and it’s taken quite some time to find the balance between humour, emotion and magic.
Can you talk about the casting of Ferdia Shaw in the central role of Artemis?
It was just like casting the main role forThor. We saw many, many people and it took months. We wanted to find someone, if we could, who was Irish so we could have that distinctive flavour without effort and with some reality. We also needed to find someone who was not overwhelmed or intimidated and who could see it for the beautiful opportunity it is and the fun that it is. A great moment was when I showed Ferdia the house for the first time, he just said ‘bloody hell’. We put a book in his bedroom that he had told us he’d read so it seemed more familiar to him. We put the young actors through a sort of acting bootcamp – teaching things like how you come in on cue and technically being able to say the lines swiftly. And he was able to do it all – and on top of that he’s open and kind. He’s been terrific.
Judi Dench plays Root, who is a male character in the book; why did you choose her for the role?
I’ve worked with her many times now and I just had a hunch about having her from the start. Whenever I ask Judi to do something she just asks ‘is it different?’ The other day she said to me ‘I don’t know how to play this part’ and I said that she was giving a really good impression of someone who did. But I think she said that because it’s very different from anything she’s ever done, she looks different too and I knew that would appeal to her.
What did the experience of making Thor (2011) teach you about making a film that is expected to kick-start a franchise?
It taught me that it’s exciting but it’s also a little scary. When it comes to something like this, there’s such a massive world with so many fairies, trolls and goblins that live under the earth but at the same time you’re trying to keep it feeling contemporary with this modern world that embraces technology and quite advanced technology. And that, for me, continues to be quite a scary but pleasant, creative thing. It’s a huge team effort and everyone is critical to it.