Disney + Hotstar will see a big release on 12 June with Artemis Fowl. Based on the hugely popular book by Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl follows the journey of 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl, a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds, as he desperately tries to save his father who has been kidnapped.
The film has been directed by Academy Award-winner Kenneth Branagh and features Ferdia Shaw and Lara Mcdonnell in lead roles and also stars Dame Judi Dench, Josh Gad and Colin Farrell.
Finding the right actor to shoulder the role of young Artemis was quite daunting. In the words of Branagh, Artemis has to be someone who is “smart, funny and physically adroit”.
The filmmaker also said in a statement that the team felt they should have someone from Ireland as Artemis. They auditioned around 1,200 youngsters around the ages of 11 and 12 and finally zeroed in on Ferdia Shaw. Branagh said that Ferdia has a laconic sense of humour. “He’s interested in everything. He’d also read all the ‘Artemis’ books and was well-versed in the subject matter. Ferdia was able to bring a freshness and a youthfulness that was very, very appealing”.
To portray 84-year-old fairy Holly Short, the makers found a perfect fit in 14-year-old Lara McDonnell.
Kenneth Branagh added, “Lara has a warmth and innate emotional intelligence, which means that with all of the wonderful passion that she brings to Holly Short.” The director also said that Lara had to perform a number of stunts in the film, and she put her physical dexterity to good use.
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