ARTEMIS FOWL film prospects turn optimistic after a surprise open casting call comes to light!

It’s been rumored for years and fans have been waiting (im)patiently, but it seems a film adaptation of Eoin Colfer‘s beloved series Artemis Fowl is finally going to happen!

The rights to the Artemis Fowl series were first bought by Miramax in 2001 and were listed as “in development” until 2011. In summer 2013, the rights were traded to Disney (who also owns Colfer’s publisher, Hyperion) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix screenwriter Michael Goldenberg was hired to adapt the first two books in the eight book series into one movie. Things remained quiet until late 2015, when actor/director Kenneth Branagh was hired to helm the project. After that, news fell flat once again.

However, major news sprung to our attention from Project Casting via local Irish publication Evening Echo: Disney held an open casting call for the lead role during and surrounding the Fastnet Film Festival in Cork, Ireland over the past three days!

The casting call looked for boys between the ages of 9 and 12 to play Artemis. There was no particular ethnic background attached to the role, but the production is looking for a very specific personality type:

Artemis should be inquisitive and possessing both academic and emotional intelligence, Artemis is highly perceptive and good at reading people. Most importantly, Artemis is warm-hearted and has a great sense of humour; he has fun in whatever situation he is in and loves life.

Disney may or may not have found a potential lead during these auditions,– we wouldn’t know for months, either way– but at the very least, this is a very positive sign that the Artemis Fowl story is finally on the way to cinemas!

The Artemis Fowl books were published between 2001 and 2012. They became fast favorites among young readers and earned a multitude of awards from around the world. If you haven’t read the series yet, snag the first book now via Amazon.