Josh Gad to Join Judi Dench & More in Artemis Fowl Live-Action Film

Tony nominee Josh Gad is among the latest batch of stars set to join the previously announced Tony winner Judi Dench in Disney's upcoming live-action film adaptation of the novel series Artemis Fowl, according to Entertainment Weekly. Four-time Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh is at the movie's helm.

A 2011 Tony nominee for The Book of Mormon, Gad was also seen on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His screen credits include the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express.

Artemis Fowl follows a 12-year-old genius who battles against a group of fairies that might be the cause of the disappearance of his father. The first book of the eight-part series was published in 2007.

Gad will play the kleptomaniacal dwarf Mulch Diggums in the film, with Dench as fairy police force leader Commander Root. The cast also includes Lara McDonnell as the elf hero Captain Holly Short and Nonso Anozie as the bodyguard Butler. The title role will be played by newcomer Ferdia Shaw.

The Artemis Fowl live-action film is scheduled for an August 9, 2019 release.