Last night, I took two of my sons to hear Eoin Colfer talk about his new book, And Another Thing, a sequel to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. My sons are huge fans of both his Artemis Fowl series and Hitchhiker's, and were thrilled that they got a "Don't Panic!" towel along with the new book. Douglas Adams' widow asked that Colfer write this sixth book in the trilogy in honor of the 30th anniversary of the release of the first Hitchhiker's which was just a few weeks ago. There's much trepidation amongst Hitchhiker's fans about another author taking on Douglas Adams' series, but Time gave it a rave review. All I can tell you is that Eoin Colfer was hilarious in person. There's nothing like listening to an Irishman tell funny stories! I was frequently laughing so hard I was crying.During the Q&A, Eoin (it's pronounced Owen) Colfer was asked if Artemis Fowl will ever be made into a movie. Colfer told us that Artemis Fowl is a victim of the Mirimax Disney divorce. Disney really wants the rights, but Harvey Weinstein won't let it go, at least for now. The project is ready to go with Jimmy Sheridan (In America, My Left Foot) set to direct. And with the success of Inglourious Basterds, Weinstein has less reason to let the property go back to Disney.
Disney is moving forward with Colfer's book Airman. Just this week, it was announced that Robert Zemeckis (Polar Express, A Christmas Carol) would produce the project, which will also be in that distinctive motion-capture animation style. Gil Keenan, who directed Monster House, will direct Airman, and Anne Peacock is writing the screenplay.
Conor, a 14 year-old boy and the son of a King's bodyguard on the island of Great Saltee, is framed for the King's murder and thrown into prison by the dastardly Hugo Bonvilain. Conor must escape back to his family (and the princess he fancies) by building a flying machine to escape the prison.
And just for the record, Eoin Colfer agrees with the rest of us that the Hitchhiker's movie was hugely disappointing. It just wasn't funny enough!
