Artemis Fowl arrives on Disney+ in June

The Kenneth Branagh-directed fantasy adventure stars Irish newcomer Ferdia Shaw as the criminal mastermind alongside fellow Irish actors Colin Farrell and Lara McDonnell.

Northern Irish director Branagh said: "Artemis Fowl is a true original. In challenging times, a 12-year-old criminal mastermind is one heck of a travelling companion.”

He describes Artemis as: "Smart, funny, and cool as mustard, he'll take you to new worlds, meet unforgettable characters, and mix magic with mayhem.”

"His own family is everything to him, and (although he'd never admit it), he'd be as proud as I am that families around the world will now be able to enjoy his first amazing screen adventures together, on Disney +."

Disney's new film also stars Josh Gad, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh McGuire, Nikesh Patel and Adrian Scarborough and Judi Dench.

Earlier this month, author Colfer told RTÉ Radio 1 that he had been pushing for the film adaptation to premiere on Disney+ during the Covid-19 emergency. Artemis Fowl had been due to open in cinemas on May 29, but release schedules were affected because of Covid-19.

"The only way people are going to get to see it - certainly this year and possibly next year - would be on Disney+, because everything is being pushed back with the coronavirus at least a year."

The Wexford writer said the film is being treated as: "a test case, and if it goes well it's going to happen more".

"As for a sequel, I've only sold Disney the first book, so if they want to do more they'd have to come back to me... That would be great if that would happen."

You can catch the trailer here.