Harvey Weinstein And Disney Reunite For ‘Artemis Fowl’ Adaptation
Eoin Colfer’sArtemis Fowlwas a pretty big deal when it first hit shelves in 2001, enough so that Miramax quickly snapped up the film rights that same year. But nothing came of that deal, and even as contemporaries likeHarry Potter,The Golden Compass, andEragonhave made their way to multiplexes,Artemis Fowlhas been left behind.
Given the industry’s current obsession with all things YA, though, it was only a matter of time before someone got it into their heads to giveArtemis Fowlanother shot. That someone, it turns out, isHarvey Weinsteinand Disney. They’ve just setMichael Goldenberg(Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) to pen the script, withRobert De NiroandJane Rosenthalproducing. Hit the jump for all the details.
The reinvigorated project represents Weinstein’s first team-up with Disney since their not-so-friendly split. “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 Weinstein in the statement. “This is a special project for me because my children absolutely love this book.”
The new film will be adapted from the first two installments of Colfer’s series. The title refers to the protagonist, a 12-year-old genius who’s built a fortune through criminal dealings. He kidnaps a LEPrecon fairy in an effort to help his family, but gets pulled in over his head.
It almost without saying that the property comes with built-in franchise potential. There are eightArtemis Fowlbooks in all, the last of which,Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian, was published last year. Collectively, the eight novels have sold over 21 million copies in 44 languages.
