New Eragon Update Is A Great Sign For The Disney+ Show After 2 Years Of Silence
A promising new update bodes well for the Disney+ adaptation of Eragon. Christopher Paolini's fantasy novel about dragons and dragon riders became a bestselling hit and the first of four books in The Inheritance Cycle series. The fantastical world of Alagaësia now includes the short story collection The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm and the spinoff novel Murtagh as well. The first book's success led to an Eragon movie released in 2006, starring Ed Speleers as the titular hero, Jeremy Irons as Brom, and John Malkovich as King Galbatorix in an adaptation that was poorly received.
As Percy Jackson and the Olympians and other young adult fantasy books were turned into streaming series, discussions of Eragon getting the same treatment became more prominet. Those discussions and hopes for an improved adaptation were rewarded in July 2022 when it was announced that a Disney+ Eragon show was in development. However, in the more than two years since this first announcement, there have been minimal updates on the series. That has now changed after the latest development for the Disney+ reboot.
The Eragon Disney+ Show Is Still Happening Despite So Few Updates
Christopher Paolini Shares An Exciting Update
On X (formerly Twitter), Paolini shared that the Eragon show "is still on track." He explained that he cannot reveal anything until "a major contract gets signed" and noted that business negotiations often move slowly in the film and television industry. While the series is still likely years away from being released, it is exciting to know that the show is still being worked on and that it has not been abandoned, especially after an extended period of few updates about the project.
Once the contracts and negotiations are finalized, more substantial and consistent updates will likely be released in the following months. One of the Eragon show's biggest challenges will be finding the right actors who can play the characters over the course of multiple seasons. Eragon is 15 when the first book begins and the series will need to find an actor who can grow up alongside the character and portray him through his many changes throughout the story. Casting for Brom, Arya, Murtagh, Nasuada, Orik, Roran, and other key characters will be equally important as well.
Christopher Paolini’s Involvement In The Eragon Show Is A Great Sign
Adaptations Thrive When The Original Author Is Heavily Involved
Paolini being the one to provide the latest update indicates his high level of involvement in the show. The initial 2022 report of the Eragon show's development shared that Paolini would be the series' co-showrunner and co-writer. Having the original author at the forefront of the Disney+ adaptation is already a significant improvement over the 2006 movie. Other than being based on his Eragon novel, Paolini was not involved in the making of the movie. Nothing beats having the author, who has been writing in this universe for more than two decades now, at the helm of the project.
Even though the fourth and final book of The Inheritance Cycle, Inheritance, was published in 2011, Paolini has remained steeped in the world of Alagaësia in more recent years with The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm in 2018, Murtagh in 2023, and with more stories on the way. The fantastical universe is still one he is deeply passionate about and that passion will no doubt translate into the show. His knowledge and creative vision can even allow the show to incorporate elements from his universe that did not exist when the movie was being created almost two decades ago.
The Eragon Show Can Fix The Movie’s Biggest Mistakes
A Streaming Series Is A Better Format For Christopher Paolini's Books
Adaptations of popular books inevitably come with high expectations, but this is not the only reason that the Eragon movie struggled. One of the biggest issues was how the movie tried to condense the events of Paolini's 500+ page book into a 104-minute runtime. Many key storylines and events were either severely rushed or omitted entirely. Eragon movie's missing characters was another major issue, with Orik, the Twins, Solembum, Katrina, and Elva being among the important characters who were not included.
Characters like the Twins, Katrina, and Elva were only featured in deleted scenes.
While some of these characters do not have major roles in Eragon, they are vital in the book's sequels. If the Eragon movie's reception had been more positive, or if it performed better at the box office, an adaptation of Eldest may have been greenlit, but it would have automatically struggled due to omissions and unnecessary changes made in the first adaptation. A streaming series has the luxury of multiple episodes that can create better pacing and avoid detrimental changes. This can lead to faithfully adapting Eragon and effectively setting up future seasons that will adapt the other books.
Disney+'s Success With Percy Jackson Bodes Well For Eragon
Percy Jackson Season 1 Was Disney+'s Most-Viewed Show
The overwhelmingly positive reception and high viewership for Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 are promising for the Eragon show. One of the most impressive signs of Percy Jackson's season 1 success is that it was Disney+'s most-watched show in 2024, even when compared to all Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe shows that were released. This included outperforming The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew, The Bad Batch, Echo, Agatha All Along, and X-Men '97, although it should be noted that Skeleton Crew did not debut until December 3.
The Inheritance Cycle (Original Four Books) |
|---|
Eragon |
Eldest |
Brisingr |
Inheritance |
With a 91% Tomatometer score and 79% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, the top-tier viewership was not the only sign of Percy Jackson's success. Season 1 was praised for many elements, including its ability to be a faithful adaptation of Rick Riordan's novels. Riordan is a co-creator and executive producer on the Disney+ show, making him heavily involved with it. He has the kind of positive impact that Paolini can have on the Eragon series, not just behind-the-scenes, but in terms of marketing it and in building public confidence in the project.
With 2023's Murtagh proving to be a bestseller for many weeks, the popularity is undeniably still there for the magical universe that Paolini created and continues to develop.
The nostalgia for Percy Jackson has contributed to the show's popularity, but so has the ongoing popularity, and the series' excellent quality. With 2023's Murtagh proving to be a bestseller for many weeks, the popularity is undeniably still there for the magical universe that Paolini created and continues to develop. That popularity can extend to the Eragon show, which, like Percy Jackson, can appeal to new and longtime fans through its coming-of-age hero's journey told in a wonderfully written fantasy world.
Source: X (formerly Twitter), Rotten Tomatoes
