Based on the first book of Eoin Colfer's best-selling series of the same name, and directed by Kenneth Branagh, Disney’s Artemis Fowl has begun principal photography and will film in England, Northern Ireland and Ho Chi Minh City. The book was adapted for the screen by award-winning playwright Conor McPherson. I'm sure the timing of this announcement is totes coincidental and in no way related to the fact that Warner Bros. is poised to reveal a new look at the latest installment in their Harry Potter franchise, a franchise that Artemis Fowl is often compared to.

Descended from a long line of criminal masterminds, 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl finds himself in a battle of strength and cunning against a powerful, hidden race of fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance. Newcomer Ferdia Shaw plays the title character, with Lara McDonnell (Love, Rosie) playing Captain Holly Short, a feisty, spirited elf, who is kidnapped by Artemis for a ransom of fairy gold. Artemis Fowl is on track for an August 9, 2019 release date.

In the underground fairy world of Haven City, Academy Award-winner Dame Judi Dench plays Commander Root, the leader of the reconnaissance division of the LEPrecon, the fairy police force, and Josh Gad plays Mulch Diggums, a kleptomaniac dwarf, who attempts to help rescue Holly. Above ground, Nonso Anozie plays the Fowl family bodyguard, named Butler, and Tamara Smart (The Worst Witch) plays Butler’s niece Juliet. Miranda Raison (Murder on the Orient Express) plays Artemis’ mother Angeline.

Other members of the cast include Josh McGuire (About Time), Hong Chau (Downsizing), Nikesh Patel (London Has Fallen), Michael Abubakar (Trust Me), Jake Davies (A Brilliant Young Mind), Rachel Denning (Doctor Who), Matt Jessup (Dread), Simone Kirby (Alice Through the Looking Glass), Sally Messham (Allied) and Adrian Scarborough (Les Misérables).

Branagh brings back several members of his creative team, including Haris Zambarloukos, director of photography; Jim Clay, production designer; Patrick Doyle, composer; and Carol Hemming, hair and makeup designer—all of whom worked on Branagh’s 2017 directorial project, Murder on the Orient Express. The costume designer is Sammy Sheldon Differ (Assassin's Creed), and the film will be edited by Martin Walsh (Wonder Woman). The film is produced by Kenneth Branagh and Judy Hofflund, with Matthew Jenkins and Angus More Gordon serving as executive producers.