Irish film Artemis Fowl set to launch on Disney+ in June

Artemis Fowl is set to launch on June 12.Disney

Disney is set to launch Artemis Fowl, a new Irish film, on its streaming platform Disney+ in June.

Artemis Fowl, a young adult fantasy novel written by Irish author Eoin Colfer, will begin streaming exclusively on Disney+ on June 12.

Northern Irish director Kenneth Branagh said that Artemis Fowl is a "fantastical epic adventure, resplendent with beautiful landscapes and spectacular visual effects.

"Artemis Fowl is a true original. In challenging times, a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind is one heck of a traveling companion. Smart, funny, and cool as mustard, he’ll take you to new worlds, meet unforgettable characters, and mix magic with mayhem."

Read more: The best Irish movies of all time

Disney's new film features newcomer Ferdia Shaw in the title role of Artemis alongside Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh McGuire, Nikesh Patel and Adrian Scarborough. Hollywood A-listers Colin Farrell and Judi Dench also star in the new feature film.

The story follows Artemis Fowl - a 12-year-old genius descended from a long line of criminal masterminds - who must work desperately to save his kidnapped father.

Artemis must infiltrate the ancient, underground world of fairies to pay his father's ransom and bring his father's kidnappers the Aculos, the fairies' most coveted magical object.

However, he soon finds himself in a battle of wits with the powerful, mythical creatures.

The film has been a long time in the making.

Colfer released the first book in the Artemis Fowl series in 2001 to widespread critical acclaim and Miramax Films announced plans for a film adaptation in the same year.

In 2003, Colfer said that a screenplay had been completed for the movie and said that casting was due to begin soon. However, the film fell into production hell before it was picked up by Disney in 2013.