Artemis Fowl Being Moved From Theaters to Disney+

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to keep businesses closed, and no one entirely sure when things will start returning to normal, Disney finally shifted around all of its spring and summer movie release dates to account for the extended closures. Movies like Mulan and Black Widow have been pushed to later in the year, which was to be expected given the circumstances. However, one movie is being pulled from the release schedule entirely and sent straight to streaming. Rather than being released in theaters, which was the original plan, the live-action adaptaion of Artemis Fowl will premiere exclusively on Disney+.

Along with all of the release date moves, Disney announced that Artemis Fowl would be a streaming exclusive, much like the live-action Lady and the Tramp and this year's Timmy Failure. The film was originally supposed to arrive in theaters on May 29th, but there's concern that the theaters won't reopen in time for that date. Even if they do, Disney has much bigger films to worry about slotting into the release schedule. Artemis Fowl simply seems to be a casualty of unfortunate circumstances.

At this time, Disney hasn't announced a firm release date for Artemis Fowl, but it will likely arrive on Disney+ sometime this spring or early summer. Since the film was already on track to make its release in May, there shouldn't be anything keeping it from hitting the streaming service sooner rather than later.

"With audiences largely unable to attend theatres in the current environment, we are thrilled to offer the premiere of Artemis Fowl on Disney+," said Ricky Strauss, President, Content & Marketing, Disney+. "Director Kenneth Branagh and his spectacular cast take viewers right into the vibrant, fantasy world of the beloved book, which fans have been waiting to see brought to life onscreen for years. It's great family entertainment that is the perfect addition to Disney+'s summer lineup."

Based on the novel by Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl stars newcomer Ferdia Shaw as the titular son of a criminal mastermind, who embarks on a journey to find his missing father. Colin Farrell, Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh McGuire, Nikesh Patel, Adrian Scarborough, and Judie Dench also star. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh with a script from Conor McPherson and Hamish McColl.

Are you looking forward to watching Artemis Fowl on Disney+? Let us know in the comments!