Disney's 'Artemis Fowl' Taps Newcomer Ferdia Shaw as Lead Star
"Artemis Fowl" has found its lead star.
Newcomer Ferdia Shaw has been tapped to portray the titular role in Disney's adaptation of the famed novel series, reports confirmed. The upcoming film will also include Kenneth Branagh as the director and Conor McPherson as scriptwriter.
Branagh and casting director Lucy Bevan screened over 1,200 actors for the role before finally choosing Shaw, who will be marking his feature film debut. The young actor joins fellow cast members Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Nonso Anozie and Lara McDonnell.
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CBR notes Gad will play a "kleptomaniacal dwarf" named Mulch Diggums who serves both fairies and himself. Dench will take on the role of Commander Root, the unsympathetic leader of the fairy police force called LEPrecon. Anozie will appear as Artemis' bodyguard named Butler, while McDonnel will portray Captain Holly Short aka "the elf hero."
Written by Eoin Colfer, the famed children's book series centers on an intelligent 12-year-old named Artemis Fowl II, who also happens to be a criminal mastermind. He works to extort gold from the secret Fairy People, but his mission later puts him closer to the most dangerous creatures in the world.
Throughout the novels, Fowl eventually turns into an antihero instead of becoming a full-fledged villain. He typically works alongside fairies to keep megalomaniacs from taking over earth.
Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein originally picked up the rights to the series in the early 2000s, back when he was still Miramax head. "Harry Potter" was the hottest franchise back then. In 2013, Disney reacquired the rights and attached Weinstein as a producer.
Now, Branagh will serve as the film's producer alongside Judy Hofflund. Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro, on the other hand, will be the project's executive producers.
Production for "Artemis Fowl" begins sometime next year in the United Kingdom.
The film is slated to hit the big screen on Aug. 9, 2019.
