Despite a recent interview announcing his retirement from directing, French helmer Luc Besson ("Nikita", "The Fifth Element") has confirmed that if his upcoming "Arthur and the Minimoys" finds an audience, he might return to direct the sequel.
An adaptation of his novel, "Arthur" combines live-action and CG animation and tells of a young boy who discovers a vast world of almost invisible little people in his grandfather's backyard. In this magical land fierce battles are fought, ferocious monsters are faced, and one evil wizard, Maltazard the Cursed, rules from his terrifying stronghold: Necropolis, the forbidden city.
The sequel book entitled "Arthur and The Forbidden City" continues the story of Arthur, now ten-years-old and magically transformed into a Minimoy, who must help the race find a way into this forbidden city in order to rescue Arthur's grandfather, recover a stolen treasure, and save the land of the Minimoys before it's too late.
Madonna, Snoop Dogg and David Bowie lend their voice to the English version of the first film, retitled "Arthur and the Invisibles" in some English territories including the U.S. where it opens at Christmas. "Minimoys" opens in France next week.
Besson tells Production Weekly that if successful, a shooting start date on "City" could be as early as June next year.
