Here’s why fans of the original Eoin Colfer book series are concerned about Disney’s live-action Artemis Fowl movie. First published in 2001, Artemis Fowl was one of the new millennium’s wave of fantasy-tinged literary franchises that straddled the young and adult audiences perfectly, spearheaded by J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Unlike the heroic Potter, young Artemis Fowl II was a criminal, and a rather good one at that. A tech whiz and a strategic genius, Fowl was content extorting criminals and masterminding pre-pubescent heists until his attentions turned to the secret community of fairies living under the surface of the Earth, collectively known as The People.
Plans to adapt Artemis Fowl have been afoot ever since the first book hit shelves, but after several years of script writing, the project ground to a halt and lingered in development hell. Fowl was dragged out of the fiery cinematic depths by none other than Mickey Mouse in 2013, as Disney finally began to make some headway on an Artemis Fowl movie. The studio’s Fox acquisitions led to further delays, but now it appears that the long-awaited Fowl film will meet its current release date of May 29th.
Long-awaited it may be, but that hasn’t stopped Artemis Fowl fans expressing their skepticism after the movie’s latest trailer was revealed. It was already widely known that the Kenneth Branagh-directed effort wouldn’t be an exact retelling of the first two books, with Judi Dench portraying Commander Root, a male character in the source material. This superficial change didn’t incite much controversy, and casting Judi Dench is never something to be condemned, but now it seems that there are more fundamental alterations to the core Artemis Fowl story, and these are the focus of the fan ire online.
In the books, Artemis is a largely amoral criminal, and the enemy of The People, but his adventures gradually begin to uncover softer shades to the character. Judging by the new trailer, Disney has completely overhauled Fowl’s persona for their new movie in favor of an all-out baby-faced hero. Although believed to be criminals, the Fowl family are actually secret heroes, who protect the world from ancient, fantastical threats. Like Doctor Strange, but with trolls. Artemis Fowl has been trained to follow in his father’s footsteps; not to increase the family fortune and make tons of cash, but to “save the world.” Reworking the books further still, it’s evident from the trailer that Artemis and the fairies, represented by Holly Short, are allies from the off. In the books, Fowl spends the entire first story angering the mythical winged beings and then they reluctantly join forces in the sequel, The Arctic Incident.
While it’s never wise to write off a film based on its trailer, it’s understandable that fans wouldn’t be overjoyed by what they’ve seen of Artemis Fowl so far, given that it fundamentally changes both the story and its lead character. Part of Artemis’ appeal is his moral ambiguity - the sense that the reader never quite knows whether he’s out for himself or having a rare moral epiphany. This dynamic is made even more fascinating as Fowl’s genius is countered by his lack of physical and social skills, with Butler filling this role in Artemis’ life. On screen, however, the young protagonist appears to be a generic hero, well-trained and willing to help. Furthermore, the clear lack of tension between Artemis and the fairy LEP is perhaps the biggest overarching story in the first 3 books, and its removal for the film risks stripping out what enticed readers in the first instance.
Hopefully, Disney have edited the latest Artemis Fowl trailer in such a way as to make it seem accessible, but the finished product will feature the more dastardly Artemis fans know and love, and will see the more traditional cat-and-mouse relationship between Artemis and the fairies come into play.
More: Why Disney Delayed Artemis Fowl From August 2019 To 2020
