Dame Judi Dench in talks to join the Artemis Fowl film directed by Kenneth Branagh
Dame Judi Dench (Skyfall) is in talks to join the Kenneth Branagh-directed adaptation of the novel Artemis Fowl, according to Variety. The Disney film is being written by Irish playwright Conor McPherson and will be produced by Branagh and Harvey Weinstein. Judy Hofflund will executive produce. Seth Spector will oversee for The Weinstein Company with Tendo Nagenda and Chaz Salembier overseeing for Disney. There is no word yet on who Judi Dench will play.
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The live-action feature will be based on the first and second installments in Disney Publishing Worldwide’s best-selling children’s fiction series by author Eoin Colfer. Artemis Fowl is about a 12-year-old Artemis who is a millionaire, a genius – and above all, a criminal mastermind. But Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy (Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit) to harness her magic to save his family. These aren’t the fairies of the bedtime stories – they’re dangerous. The Artemis Fowl book series currently has more than 21 million copies in print in 44 languages worldwide.
There are eight books in the main series by Colfer and there are graphic novel adaptations. The first book in the series, Artemis Fowl was published in 2001 and in 2004 it received the Young Reader’s Choice Award.
Kenneth Branagh recently directed and starred opposite Judi Dench in Murder on the Orient Express. Dench is known for her work in films like Skyfall, in which she played M, and Shakespeare in Love. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. She’s been nominated for her roles in Mrs. Brown, Chocolat, Iris, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Notes on a Scandal and Philomena. Judi Dench will next be seen in Victoria and Abdul.
Artemis Fowl set to arrive in theaters on August 9, 2019. Are you guys excited by the idea of Dame Judi Dench in the cast of Artemis Fowl? Did you read the books? Let us know @ComingSoonnet.
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