Fresh off theannouncementthat Disney will be adaptingThe Graveyard Book, it seems that the studio will be adapting another beloved piece of children’s literature.Eragon, a novel byChristopher Paolini, is currently being developed for streaming, according toVariety.
Eragon, originally published in 2002, marked the beginning of a four-book series, collectively called “The Inheritance Cycle”. The television series will be based on these books. Paolini is attached as co-writer and co-showrunner, in a move similar to what Disney+ is doing with Rick Riordan and the Percy Jackson series. The studio is on the search for another writer and showrunner to work alongside Paolini as this will be his first foray into writing for television. The series will be executive produced byBert Salkeunder the Co-Lab 21 banner and in partnership with 20th Television. At this time, additional details are scarce. It is unknown if the series will follow in Percy Jackson’s footsteps, adapting one book per season or if the story will be taken in a new direction. This move by Disney+ will follow in the trend of popular children’s books being adapted for streaming, something that has grown more common following Netflix’sA Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the book series byLemony Snicket. Disney+ has already begun churning out YA book-to-screen properties includingThe Mysterious Benedict Societyand the forthcoming shows based onThe Spiderwick ChroniclesandPercy Jackson and the Olympians, which isexpected to debuton the streamer in 2024.
Eragonhas been adapted for the screen once before. In 2006, a film adaptation from 20th Century Fox was released starringEd Speelersas the titular character of Eragon, with an ensemble includingRachel Weisz,Jeremy Irons,Garrett Hedlund, andJohn Malkovich. Though highly anticipated by fans of the books, the film opened to largely negative reviews and potential sequel talks were dissolved. In 2021, the hype for a new adaptation began to build, with the hashtag #EragonRemake trending on Twitter. Paolini himself evenjoined inon the movement, encouraging fans to Tweet their wishes for “a properEragonadaptation.”
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In 2018, Paolini published a spin-off book of stories from theEragonuniverse titledThe Fork, the Witch, and the Worm. In 2020, he released his first science fiction book, calledTo Sleep in a Sea of Stars. Paolini was only eighteen whenEragonwas first published and later wasawardedthe “youngest author of a bestselling series” by Guinness World Records.
The story of the first book follows Eragon as he finds a mysterious dragon egg in the mountains and must flee his village to save the dragon from the evil king. A trailer for the 2006 film can be seen below.
