Branagh, a classically trained Shakespearean actor and five-time Oscar nominee, most recently directed a live action version of Cinderella for Disney, after the commercial and critical hit Thor addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Branagh will also work on the script, along with Tony Award-nominee Conor McPherson, the Irish playwright.

Eoin Colfer pictured at the Whitbread Book Awards in London, 2002 [Myung Jung Kim / PA Archive/PA Images]

Described as “Harry Potter meets Die Hard” by The Tracking Board, which broke the news, Artemis Fowl tells the story of a billionaire boy genius in Ireland who uses his cunning to steal a gold from an underground world of fairies and supernatural creatures. In the process, aided by his martial-arts-practicing bodyguard Butler, Fowl goes head to head with an elf police officer by the name of Holly Short, with a convoluted plot inherent to any Young Adult science-fiction fantasy series.

Before bringing Artemis Fowl  to the screen, Branagh will first direct a new version of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. His sights will then turn to the Eoin Colfer character, which will be co-produced by Harvey Weinstein.

I know he'd kill me for doing this, but Happy Birthday #ArtemisFowl

— Eoin Colfer (@eoincolfer) September 1, 2015

 “This is a special project for me because my children absolutely love this book,” Weinstein said when firsy mooting a big-screen adaptiation back in 2013. “This story is for everyone and there is no one better than Disney to make a film that will excite people young and old.”