Eragon Author Campaigns for Disney Remake of Failed Adaptation
“Bring the thunder, Alagaesians!” tweeted Christopher Paolini, author of the Eragon book series.
“Alagaesia” is a word fantasy readers haven’t heard for well over a decade, not since Inheritance, the last book in Paolini’s The Inheritance Cycle series, was released. For most of the 2000s, Paolini’s fantasy tetralogy, composed of Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance, dominated bestseller lists and was even adapted into a feature film in 2006.
Thought the Percy Jackson movie was bad? Wait till you hear all about Eragon. Like many book-to-film adaptation, the movie failed to live up to expectations, was disowned by fans, and discontinued after just one movie in what was supposed to be an entire franchise.
Paolini wants to rectify that. The author and his fans are now campaigning for a Disney adaptation of the popular books.
The movie rights to Eragon were originally owned by 20th Century Fox, but Disney has since acquired the studio and all of its intellectual properties. This means that it’s up to Disney whether they want to remake the beloved fantasy series.
And there’s a fair chance Disney might take notice. Since launching Disney+, the entertainment giant has become more active in acquiring and producing book-to-streaming adaptations. Percy Jackson is the latest project in the works at Disney+ and already has fan support. Artemis Fowl was also adapted by Disney in 2020.
While we’re sure Disney has plenty of IPs to choose from, Eragon might just have a shot at capturing their attention.
What is The Inheritance Cycle about?
After the colossal success of Game of Thrones, the thirst for high fantasy on television has skyrocketed. The Witcher, Shadow and Bone, Carnival Row, The Dark Crystal, and plenty more are testament to that. But none can be deemed child-friendly. Eragon presents a curious case: a mature and complex high fantasy world and plot without the blood, sex, and gore of GOT-style storylines.
With heavy influences from Lord of the Rings, The Inheritance Cycle also features Star Wars-esque family drama, which is a result of Paolini’s 90s childhood influences.
The Inheritance Cycle follows the journey of Eragon, a newly discovered dragonrider, as he trains one of the last dragons, allies with dying elves, and battles an evil empire. And it’s all (mostly) PG-13 and Disney-friendly.
While the books were pegged in the children’s and young adult categories, The Inheritance Cycle became more complex as the series progressed—and as the author grew up. Fun fact: Paolini graduated high school at only 15 and self-published the 500-page Eragon when he was only 18.
Dragons, battles, and high fantasy worlds—Eragon makes a good case for Disney’s next big fantasy series. And with over 33.5 million copies sold worldwide, we’re sure a potential show or movie would have a large fan audience.
Do you think The Inheritance Cycle should get a remake? Tell us in the comments below.
