A live-action television series adaptation of 'Eragon' is currently in development at Disney+, with author Christopher Paolini as co-showrunner.
Getting ready to bring back another young adult franchise, Disney+ has entered development on an Eragon series adaptation. Penned by Christopher Paolini, the 2002 novel was the first in a series of young adult fantasy drama novels titled The Inheritance Cycle.
‘Eragon’ TV Series Adaptation in Development at Disney+ (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/yiJx9IjyV0
— Variety (@Variety) July 25, 2022
Variety reports that Paolini is set to co-write the show, which covers the events featured in Eragon. When asked about the news, Paolini posted the following set of emojis on Twitter!
Paolini also thanked everyone involved in a fan-led movement for an Eragon remake, kickstarted a year ago, which almost certainly led us to this point.
So, all I can say at the moment is ... thank you. Thank you to everyone who has read the books, supported the tweetstorms, and participated in this fandom. None of this would have happened without you Alagaësians. https://t.co/wxJpo8ZKal
— Christopher Paolini (@paolini) July 26, 2022
It would not be the first time that Eragon has been adapted for the screen. The book was previously adapted into a film of the same name in 2006 with Ed Speleers as Eragon, Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira, Jeremy Irons as Brom, and John Malkovich as Galbatorix. The film was widely panned by critics upon its release and grossed approximately $250 million at the worldwide box office against a reported budget of $100 million.
Disney+ is bringing Eragon to the small screen in a new television adaptation. 🐉 https://t.co/4fSX8pAaJw
— IGN (@IGN) July 25, 2022
The film currently holds a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. IGN’s own review said that “the heavy-handed direction and poor adaptation of this half-decent, but derivative, fantasy story will definitely disappoint all but the most thick-skinned and ardent fans.”
'Eragon' live-action series is in early development at Disney+ 🐲
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) July 25, 2022
Author Christopher Paolini will serve as co-writer and co-showrunner
(via @Variety | https://t.co/O0ZizUXbry) pic.twitter.com/FSXcetbMv0
The Inheritance Cycle tells the story of a farmboy named Eragon who discovers an egg that hatches into a dragon he names Saphira. Through their bond and the help of his mentor Brom, Eragon learns to be a Dragon Rider, an ancient order that had long been thought to be wiped out by the evil king Galbatorix. Eragon and Saphira set out to defeat Galbatorix and free the land of Alagaësia from his tyranny. The novel Eragon was self-published by Paolini in 2002 before it was republished in 2003. It was followed by Eldest in 2005, Brisingr in 2008, and Inheritance in 2011. A remake has been supported by fans since 2021 when the hashtag #EragonRemake proposed a reboot of the franchise to Disney.
Eragon fans when they read the Variety article. #EragonRemake #Eragon pic.twitter.com/RXFzvS486W
— Crow #StandWithUkraine (@Scarecrow276) July 26, 2022
Along with Paolini as the showrunner, Bert Salke is on board as executive producer alongside 20th Television. The series is too early in development for an official decision and has no release date as of now.