Epic fantasy is the flavor of the month on streaming services right now, and Disney Plus is hoping to capitalize on the genre’s popularity with another live TV series.
As I mentioned for the first time before diverse (Opens in a new tab), a new show based on Christopher Paolini’s popular series of novels, The Inheritance Cycle, is in early development for a streaming device. Eragon, previously adapted into a 2006 feature film of the same name, is among the four books set to form a foundation Disney Plus Produce.
The Inheritance Cycle tells the story of a young farm boy who, after discovering a mysterious dragon egg, learns to become the legendary Dragon Rider, a powerful warrior destined to save the land of Alagaësia from its evil king.
Eragon, the first novel in the Paolini series, was published in 2002 and was quickly followed by Eldest in 2005, Brisingr in 2008 and Inheritance in 2011. To date, the four books have garnered combined global sales of over 40 million copies.
Despite the series’ literary popularity, Eragon’s 20th Century Studios big screen adaptation was a critical and box office bomb upon its release in 2006, earning just $250 million from a reported $100 million budget and a shocking 16 critics rating. % on me rotten tomatoes (Opens in a new tab).
The film had an impressive cast—Jeremy Irons, Rachel Weisz, Robert Carlyle and John Malkovich were among the names on the expensive contact paper—but audiences and reviewers alike were unimpressed by Eragon’s lackluster writing, chaotic effects and generally uninspired handling and an intriguing story. .
In 2021, fans of Paolini’s novels expressed their support for a new adaptation of Eragon and its sequels using the hashtag #EragonRemake – and it’s clear that Disney has taken an interest. The author himself recently thanked these activists by quoting a miscellaneous tweet (below) confirming the development of the new series.
Ah… 😎 (You are the best fan.) https://t.co/V1CLyePzw425 July 2022
There has been no information yet on when Disney’s The Inheritance Cycle will premiere Disney Plus, nor any details about its length or cast. Since it’s still in “early development,” though, we’ll likely have a few years to wait until we see Eragon roaming again on the big screen.
Is this just a fantasy?
Eragon (or The Inheritance Cycle) isn’t the only fantasy novel series getting the adaptation treatment at Disney Plus right now. Also in the works is the fast-growing streaming service, a sequel to Rick Riordan’s iconic Percy Jackson franchise – which has already formed the basis of two 20th Century Studios films.
And Eragon isn’t the only dragon-inspired TV show making headlines this month. HBO’s Game of Thrones show, Dragon Houseis gearing up for its highly anticipated release on August 21, while Amazon is very expensive Prime Video SeriesAnd the rings of strengthIt starts broadcasting soon after in September.
As mentioned earlier, Disney’s latest project certainly won’t go into these upcoming shows for streaming real estate — it’s even possible that House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power will get second seasons before Eragon arrives — but Disney Plus chiefs are clearly buying into the idea of That imaginative fiction is sold out (even if it’s only on TV…).