Fans of Eoin Colfer's best-selling Artemis Fowl series of children's books are petitioning Walt Disney Studios to launch a film franchise based on the novels.

The petition, currently sitting at just over 3,000 signatures, hopes to generate at least 10,000 to show Disney that there is interest in the franchise, which the studio snapped up years ago but has languished in development hell ever since.

In the intervening time, of course, Disney has acquired Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and their library of fairly family-friendly blockbuster fodder, making the prospect of an Artemis Fowl movie feel less like a fait accompli.

You can see the full message from the artemis-fowl.com website below: