Who says exes can’t collaborate? Harvey Weinstein – who famously parted ways with the Disney company in 2005 after tangling over Miramax – is back producing a project at the company some people probably thought wouldn’t come to fruition. But development on the adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl books is back on track{
The Fowl series, which began with the eponymous tome in 2001 and has continued through seven successive books, follows Artemis Fowl II. A teenage criminal mastermind with serious parental issues, our hero (who often edges more towards the antihero type) uses his genius and guile in a search for his dad.
After plotting to kidnap a fairy, he becomes public enemy number one and has various fantastical adventures. Along the way, he develops a sense of morality and no little willingness to sacrifice himself.
Weinstein nabbed the rights to the books for Miramax in 2001, back when he was still part of the Disney subsidiary. Despite various script drafts, it lingered in limbo and really faltered when Weinstein left.
Now Alan Horn, who has worked with Harvey in the past, has tempted him back to join forces for this one. "If you would have told me five years ago I would be producing a project with Disney I would have thought you were crazy," said Weinstein in a statement picked up by the Hollywood Reporter. "I feel as though everything is coming full circle considering Bob De Niro and Jane Rosenthal brought me this book while I was still at Miramax and within hours I told them I wanted the rights to the film."
**Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix **writer Michael Goldenberg is aboard to write the latest script based on the first two books, Artemis Fowl and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. All involved will be hoping it actually makes it to the screen this time.