'Artemis Fowl' animated series officially greenlit by Disney six years after movie

Disney+ develops new animated 'Artemis Fowl' series with author Eoin Colfer as executive producer six years after film

Disney is developing a new animated Artemis Fowl television series for Disney Channel and Disney+, six years after the release of its live-action film adaptation.

The announcement was made on October 11 during the “25 Years of Artemis Fowl” panel at New York Comic Con, celebrating the bestselling book series by Irish author Eoin Colfer. Colfer will serve as an executive producer on the upcoming animated adaptation, which has received an official green light from Disney.

The action-adventure series will follow Artemis Fowl, a 13-year-old genius who discovers a secret world inhabited by powerful fairies with advanced technology. Hoping to help his seriously ill mother and save his family, Artemis devises a plan to capture one of the fairies and steal its magic.

According to Disney, Colfer's book series has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and been translated into 48 languages.

“I am proud and delighted to be part of the formidable team that is putting the ‘Artemis Fowl’ animation on screen,” Colfer said in a statement, expressing confidence in the creative team behind the project.

Ben Juwono, known for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and Big Hero 6: The Series, will executive produce alongside Colleen Evanson, whose credits include DuckTales and Monsters at Work.

The new series follows Disney's live-action Artemis Fowl movie, released in June 2020. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film starred Ferdia Shaw as Artemis, alongside Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Colin Farrell, Lara McDonnell and Nonso Anozie.

The film focused on Artemis attempting to rescue his kidnapped father and received largely negative reviews, earning an 8% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The upcoming animated adaptation instead centres on Artemis's efforts to save his mother. Disney has not yet announced the voice cast, episode count or premiere date, and it remains unclear how closely the series will follow the original novels.