Christopher Paolini, the author behind the acclaimed fantasy novel Eragon, recently confirmed his close involvement with the new Disney+ series adaptation.
The writer shared a message to his fans on social media, writing, "It's true -- an Eragon television series is in development at Disney+, and I'm attached to both co-write and produce!"
Paolini continued by explaining that he can't reveal too many details but that he's "very pleased" with the team he's working with at 20th Century Television and Disney+. "These are smart, passionate people," he wrote, "and I'm looking forward to making the best possible Eragon/Inheritance Cycle adaptation with them." Paolini also made sure to thank fans for their efforts, pointing out that "none of this would have been possible without everyone who has read the books, supported the tweetstorms, and participated in the fandom over the years."
News of the series came after Eragon fans took to Twitter to campaign for a new adaptation of the book. The campaign also launched a website explaining why Eragon needed an updated adaptation, claiming, "The Inheritance Cycle is perfect material for television." Paolini himself joined in the effort, tweeting in June, "Bring the thunder Algaësians! Let [Disney] hear you roar! Use the hashtag #EragonRemake, mention [Disney] in the body of the tweet, and let them know we want to see a proper Eragon adaptation!"
The new series is the second big-budget attempt at remaking Eragon, the first of which produced a 2006 feature film. Sadly, the movie was considered a critical and box office failure, grossing only $250.4 million against a $100 million budget. As a result, the creators decided not to go ahead with an adaptation of the subsequent novels in the series, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance. The 2006 film starred Ed Speelers as Eragon, Jeremy Irons as Brom, Sienna Guillory as Arya, Robert Carlyle as Durza, Rachel Weisz as Saphira, John Malkovich as Galbatorix, and Garrett Hedlund as Murtagh. Casting details have not yet been revealed for the Disney+ series.
Self-published by Paolini in 2002, Eragon follows a farm boy who discovers a mysterious egg that hatches into the dragon Saphira. The duo is forced to set out on a mission to defeat King Galbatorix, who wants to capture Saphira. The series has sold over 41 million copies worldwide.
The upcoming Eragon series does not have a release date just yet, but the 2006 film version is currently available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Twitter