Artemis Fowl musical is officially in development

A musical adaptation of Artemis Fowl is in development!

Based on the Walt Disney film and Eoin Colfer’s best-selling novel, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical, the new musical will receive a private workshop this afternoon, 14 March.

It follows 12-year-old Artemis Fowl, a millionaire and criminal genius. He’s young enough to believe in fairies and smart enough to exploit them for their gold – that all changes when he messes with the wrong elf.

The new musical has a book by Colfer, music by Liam Bates, lyrics by Colfer and Bates, and will be directed by Scott Graham for Frantic Assembly. The workshop has casting by Pearson Casting and general management by Julian Stoneman and Jack Maple for MPSI Ltd.

Regarding the development of the musical, Colfer commented: “Theatre is my first love. I learned to read running lines with my mother when I was four years old, and the first thing I ever wrote for public consumption was a play about the Norse gods for my fourth-class Christmas show.”

The writer added: “So when my book Artemis Fowl became a worldwide hit some decades later, I immediately thought that this would be my chance to get a musical onto a stage. I am so excited to showcase Artemis and for the musical to be in development with such a brilliant team because when I wrote it as a book, I was seeing it in my head as a musical. This is a literal dream come true.”

On directing the piece, Graham commented: “I am hugely excited to be entering the world of Artemis Fowl. It is mythical, fantastical, hilarious and immensely touching.”

He said: “The story is a thrilling stand-off between the fairy and mortal worlds but is also a gorgeous tale of young lives drawn into adulthood. I think there are different levels to engage with it on. On one level, it is the story of a dynamic heist, and on another, it is about family connections and how our hearts ache with pride, love and longing. It feels rich, powerful and hugely entertaining.”

Artemis Fowl The Musical is produced by Breda Cashe, Colfer and Julian Stoneman.

More information will be released in due course.

Sign up to our newsletter for more