Eragon fans, fear no more: author Christopher Paolini has officially confirmed the announcement of a new adaptation. Paolini took to Twitter this morning to confirm and comment on the reveal from earlier this week, which he admitted was "unplanned." In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Paolini confirmed that "an Eragon television series is in development at Disney+, and I'm attached to both co-write and produce!" before going on to highlight his excitement for the project and his admiration for the team. "This has been a long time coming. I can't tell you how many conversations, meetings, and messages were needed in order to reach this point. And we're still just at the beginning! However, none of this would have been possible without everyone who read the books, supported the tweetstorms, and participated in the fandom over the years."
This likely refers to the hashtag #EragonRemake, which gained popularity and began trending in 2021 when fans began clamoring for a new adaptation of the beloved series. With this Disney+ adaptation, Paolini says he is committed to "making sure that this version of Eragon's story lives up to your highest expectation". This comes after the 2006 feature film adaptation from 20th Century Fox, a massive disappointment for fans. The film starred Ed Speelers as Eragon, with Rachel Weisz, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, and John Malkovich all costarring. In his statement, Paolini also revealed that he will be publishing two new books in 2023.
In addition to Paolini, executive producer Bert Salke has released a statement regarding the project, directly comparing Eragon to what Disney+ is doing with Percy Jackson, another young adult adaptation: “It’s thrilling to be working with Christopher on a Disney+ adaptation of Eragon. Like with Percy Jackson, 20th and D+ are providing a chance for us to translate these stories to film in the way their millions of fans deserve." The initial report by Variety suggested that, in addition to writing and producing, Paolini would be a showrunner on the series. Salke's statement seems to dispute this, saying that they are looking for a "showrunner/partner who will help us bring the Eragon story to screens around the world." Variety has updated its article to reflect this change.
The Disney+ series will be adapting all four books, which are collectively known as The Inheritance Cycle. Paolini published the first novel in the series when he was only eighteen, before going on to write the subsequent three. The series has sold millions of copies worldwide, making Paolini one of the youngest authors of a bestselling series. He followed The Inheritance Cycle up with a short story collection in 2018, titled The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm. Below is an interview with Paolini discussing Inheritance, the fourth and final book in the series. And you can also check out Paolini's announcement tweet!
Stay tuned at Collider for future updates on Disney+'s Eragon series adaptation!