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Going into 2020, Disney had a packed film slate filled with Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Fox offerings. Following the theatrical shutdown, the planned MCU slate has been pushed back, the planned spring release of Mulan has moved to July, and Onward hit Disney+ just a month after its theatrical opening. Now Artemis Fowl will skip theaters altogether and debut exclusively on Disney+.
The family-friendly fantasy film based on Eoin Colfer’s bestselling YA novel is the only yet-to-be-released Disney title that has cancelled its planned theatrical run and will hit the streaming platform instead. Artemis Fowl was originally set for a May 29 release date that it abandoned at the beginning of April. The studio has now announced the movie will premiere on Disney+ on Friday, June 12. Check out the new preview below:
Artemis Fowl is directed by Kenneth Branagh of 2015’s live-action Cinderella, 2017's Murder on the Orient Express and 2011’s Thor. The movie features an all-star cast including Colin Farrell, Judi Dench and Josh Gad, and follows a 12-year-old criminal mastermind (Ferdia Shaw) who hunts down a secret society of fairies in order to track down his missing father.
Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl book series debuted in 2001 and features eight fantasy novels. Its journey to the big screen has spanned almost two decades, with plans for the movie beginning at Miramax the year of the first book’s release. It had been in development at Disney since 2013, with an original summer 2019 release date before it was pushed to its May 2020 date. So its move to Disney+ isn’t the first time Artemis Fowl has experienced setbacks.
Even so, Artemis Fowl was made on a reported $125 million production budget and was clearly not originally intended to be a streaming title. Kevin Smith recently called the decision a “smart play” by Disney and shared support for the studio’s decision to save movies like Black Widow for a theatrical release.
Black Widow was moved from May 1 to The Eternals’ date in November, resulting in a domino effect for the MCU’s planned releases. Mulan took Jungle Cruise’s July 24 date, and the Dwayne Johnson-led adventure film was pushed back a full year. Pixar’s Soul was moved from June to November, and this fall’s Raya and the Last Dragon was also moved to 2021. No word yet on The New Mutants, which was pulled from its April date.
While you wait for Artemis Fowl to come on Disney+ on June 12, subscribers can also look forward to the release of John Carter and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil on the platform in May among many others. Not a Disney+ streamer? You can sign up for a free 7-day trial.
