Hollywood Popular Artists

Jul 30th 2013, 15:20, by Kevin P. Sullivan

After years of being stuck in development hell, Artemis Fowl, the "twelve-year-old James Bond villain" with a heart of gold, is finally coming to the big screen with "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" screenwriter, Michael Goldenberg penning the screenplay for Disney and producer Harvey Weinstein.

We're obviously still a long time away from much more real news about the first movie, which will cover the stories of the first two books of the series, "Artemis Fowl" and "The Arctic Incident," but the most important concern for anyone bringing these books to the screen is casting the right lead.

While it's pretty hard to find a decent 12-year-old actor, we have a few (almost) age-appropriate suggestions to play Artemis Fowl, if producers decide to go with a higher-profile star.

Asa Butterfield
Though the "Hugo" and "Ender's Game" star certainly isn't 12 years-old anymore, Butterfield has the whole Artemis look down. From his dark hair to the icy blue eyes, of anyone on the list, he's got the most striking resemblance to the character from the pages.

Ty Simpkins
To cast Simpkins would require a little more over a makeover than others on this list, but his turn in "Iron Man 3" showed that we can expect some big things from him. It's certainly not easy to pull off the whole "kid sidekick" role and not come off as precious or annoying.

Jared Gilman
Jared completely wowed us as Sam, the romantic Khaki Scout from Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom," and while he's looking a little too old as of this recent Verizon Wireless ad, we think he could pull it off as Artemis.

Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
You might remember him as Damien from the regrettable "Omen" remake, but Seamus recently resurfaced as Ethan Hawke's son in "Before Midnight," a role that was decidedly less creepy than his turn as the anti-Christ.

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin
What better audition reel could there be for the role of Artemis Fowl than that scene in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" with Ralph Fiennes' nephew as the future Dark Lord? Nothing. There is nothing better.

How do you think would make a good Artemis Fowl II? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

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