IRISH author Eoin ­Colfer has opened up about how his first venture to Hollywood turned into a nightmare after he got stuck in the middle of a 15-year battle between Harvey Weinstein and Disney.

The Wexford-born writer took his hugely successful fantasy novel Artemis Fowl to the States before it even hit the shelves in 2001 and the rights were snapped up by movie mogul Weinstein and Hollywood giant Disney studios.

7 Eoin Colfer has revealed there is a start date of February on the opening Artemis Fowl film Credit: Getty - Contributor

The bestselling series is set to become Disney’s next blockbuster franchise with the opening film chosen as the company’s “tentpole” movie for 2019 with Robert De Niro and Judi Dench rumoured to be involved and Irish-born newcomer Ferdia Shaw in the lead role.

However, Colfer’s experience with Hollywood has left him sceptical about his story ever reaching the silver screen after the project was shelved for more than 15 years due to company conflicts.

He told the Irish Sun: “At the moment we have a start date of February on Artemis Fowl. They are designing the sets and building them in London, including the Manor, and Disney have decided that it’s going to be their tentpole film for 2019. So it’s looking really good.

“I don’t want to get too excited about it because I’ve been sort of put out twice before and it didn’t happen so until I am sitting in a cinema watching it I will probably remain very sceptical.”

7 Harvey Weinstein was signed on as a producer on Artemis Fowl until earlier this year Credit: AFP

Disgraced Hollywood heavy-hitter Harvey Weinstein was signed on as a producer on Artemis Fowl until earlier this year when he was dropped after a series of sexual harassment claims were filed against him.

The film chief owned part of the rights to Artemis Fowl alongside Disney and refused to give up his half after he was sacked from Miramax, which was owned by the hit-making studio.

The Artemis Fowl project became part of a tug of war between Weinstein and Disney with the famous producer even calling up Colfer at one stage to reassure him his film would be made.

7 Judi Dench is rumoured to be set to star in the Artemis Fowl flick Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Colfer told the Irish Sun: “It was well over ten years before things changed at Disney, there was a whole new group of people and Harvey was willing to come back to the table.

“Then, of course, Harvey is currently involved in this whole scandal so he was let go from the project several weeks ago which I think is probably for the best.

“The whole thing did frustrate me for a few years but you either get over that or you let it consume you.

“In the grand scale of things, I had two young kids and I had to pay a mortgage, I was travelling around the world so after a couple of years I just said ‘listen I can’t afford to get too wrapped up in this’.

7 The Artemis Fowl series concluded with The Last Guardian in 2012

“If it comes up, great, it’s a bonus but I’m doing pretty well so I’m not going to get too upset.

“I think if it happened now again I would get a little bit frustrated but at the moment I’m very zen about it and I would love to see it happen.

“It would be a lovely flower in the bouquet but it’s not the be all and end all. For me, I’m all about the books so that’s where I put my energy.”

The highly anticipated Hollywood adaption of Artemis Fowl will have a strong Irish contingent with director Kenneth Branagh and playwright Conor McPherson signed onto the project.

7 Director Kenneth Branagh is signed on to the Artemis Fowl film project Credit: Splash News

Disney cast young Ferdia to play the 12-year-old anti-hero Artemis after seeing thousands of young people audition from across the globe.

The fantasy series, mixing ancient lore and high-tech action, tells the story of a pubescent criminal mastermind who kidnaps a fairy LEPrecon officer named Holly Short in order to fund a rescue mission to the Arctic to save his father from the Russian mafia.

Colfer has sold more than 20 million books across the eight instalments of the Artemis Fowl series, which concluded with The Last Guardian in 2012.

The dad of two has since branched out, writing a series of other novels, plays, musicals and graphic novels but told the Irish Sun that he is planning on returning to the fairy world in the future.

7 Colfer said he will return to the fairy world in future writing

He explained: “I said when I finished Artemis I wouldn’t go back to that character but I was going to take five years out of the fairy world and maybe I’d dip back in.

“So I do have several tentative plans for it. I definitely wouldn’t say goodbye to that world but I just haven’t decided what to do. There’s so many characters there that you could base a story on. Yes, I’m pretty definite I will go back into that world at some point.”

Despite Colfer’s Hollywood hell with Harvey Weinstein, he has not been put off going back to the movie world with more of his creations — his novels The Wish List and Supernaturalists have just gone back out to tender in Tinseltown.

He said: “Since the Artemis Fowl movie was announced there has been renewed interest in Wish List and The Supernaturalists. So they have gone back out to the studios so we’ll have to wait and see.

7 Robert De Niro is rumoured to be set to star in the first Artemis Fowl film Credit: Getty Images - Getty

“I think the studios were waiting on filming to start on Artemis and once the filming starts you would be pretty sure that the movie is going to be made.”

Colfer’s latest project sees him trying to use his platform as a bestselling author to get the message out there about several social issues around the world.

The 52-year-old’s new graphic novel Illegal tells the story of a 12-year-old boy trying to make his way across the Mediterranean from Africa and puts a face on the current migrant crisis.

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He said: “I think once I finished the Artemis Fowl books and finished the crime series, I thought to myself that I do have a platform, and I’m not trying to preach to anyone because I would hope these stories are still very entertaining and enjoyable, but at the same time if I can get in a little message here and there then no harm.

“And that’s something I’ve been doing for years because even in the Artemis Fowl books every one had a kind of environmental message but now I want to kind of put the message to the front and surround it in the story.

“It won’t be every book and it won’t be every play but it’s nice to be able to do it every once in a while.”