An Eragon live-action TV show is currently in development for Disney+.
According to Variety, the upcoming Eragon series will adapt the popular fantasy novels, The Inheritance Cycle, by author Christopher Paolini. Eragon is the first novel in the series, forming a basis for the new show.
Of course, it’s not the first time Eragon has been adapted.
A live-action Eragon film debuted in 2006 but was critically panned. The film starred Ed Speleers as Eragon, Rachel Weisz as Saphira, Jeremy Irons as Brom, and John Malkovich as Galbatorix.
Although it’s currently unknown whether any of these will reprise their roles for the series, that seems unlikely. After all, the film grossed just $250 million on a reported $100 million budget and was met with absolutely terrible reviews.
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 tells the story of the titular hero – a farm boy who lives with his uncle and cousin before being whisked off on an epic adventure when he unexpectedly finds a dragon egg… and nurtures the young beast once it hatches.
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.
Uhhh … 😎 (Y’all are the best fans.) https://t.co/V1CLyePzw4
— Christopher Paolini (@paolini) July 25, 2022
The upcoming Eragon TV show will see Paolini serve as co-writer. Bert Salke is on board as executive producer alongside 20th Television. Although it’s thought that Paolini will also serve as showrunner, the series is too early in development for an official decision.
Disney+ is also bringing the Percy Jackson series back to our screens with a new TV series, casting The Adam Project star Walker Scobell as the popular hero.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.