Disney is officially bringing the action-adventure fantasy franchise Artemis Fowl to Disney Plus with a new animated series, creator and author Eoin Colfer announced Sunday at New York Comic Con. The new animated series based on Colfer’s “Die Hard with fairies” franchise has been greenlit for Disney Channel and Disney Plus, and will “dig deeper into the characters and lore of the beloved book series,” according to Disney.
Artemis Fowl follows its eponymous hero, a 13-year-old genius who uncovers an underground world of high-tech, heavily armed fairies. The young Fowl launches a plan to use fairy magic to heal his dying mother and save his family.
Artemis Fowl officially returns to Disney Plus
Colfer announced the news during Sunday’s 25 Years of Artemis Fowl panel at NYCC. He will serve as executive producer on the new Artemis Fowl animated series. Joining him on Artemis Fowl are Emmy and Annie Award winner Ben Juwono (Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Big Hero 6: The Series) and Colleen Evanson (DuckTales, Monsters at Work) who will also serve as executive producers.
“For more than two decades, Eoin Colfer’s ‘Artemis Fowl’ books have captivated readers around the world with unforgettable characters, imaginative world-building, and gripping adventures,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, in a news release. “Bringing this beloved franchise to life as an animated series gives us the opportunity to introduce a new generation to Artemis’ world while honoring the longtime fans who have cherished these stories for years.”
“I am proud and delighted to be part of the formidable team that is putting the ‘Artemis Fowl’ animation on screen,” Colfer said. “Everyone is so talented and so positive that I feel certain the fairy world is in excellent hands.”
The first Artemis Fowl novel was released in 2001. Colfer has released 11 books in the series to date, plus one short story and a companion book. The Artemis Fowl series has sold more than 35 million copies to date and has been translated into 48 languages. Disney previously produced a live-action film based on the books, which was released directly to Disney Plus in 2020. That film, which received widely negative reviews, has since been pulled from the streaming service.
Disney did not announce a release date for its new Artemis Fowl series.