I guess it’s time to stop being surprised that Kenneth Branagh has gone from Shakespeare to blockbusters. I’m sure one pays much better than the other. His last three films have seen him comfortably embrace large scale films, rolling with Marvel on "Thor," trying (and failing) to reboot the titular character in "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," and this spring he released "Cinderella." So what’s next on his plate? A YA adaptation, naturally.
Variety reports that Branagh will helm "Artemis Fowl." Based on the series by Eoin Colfer (franchise!) the story follows the fantastical adventures of a twelve-year old criminal mastermind. Here’s the synopsis of the first book to give you an idea of what it’s all about:
Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn’t foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn’t count on the appearance of the extrasmall, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) Unit–and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf) who will stop at nothing to get her back.
Conor McPherson will pen the screenplay for the project that’s set up at Disney, and counts Harvey Weinstein as a producer. It’s still in its early days but this could be another big series for the mouse house.