Percy Jackson is not the only young adult series that Disney+ is reviving. Yesterday, news dropped that it would turn Christopher Paolini’s The Inheritance Cycle series into a television series.
For those who don’t remember the great YA wars of the 2000s, Eragon is the first book in The Inheritance Cycle and tells the story of a farm boy named Eragon who discovers a dragon egg that hatches into a dragon named Saphira. He bonds with the dragon and becomes a Dragon Rider. The two go on a quest to defeat the evil king Galbatorix and free the land of Alagaësia from his dark reign.
What was notable about the series was that Paolini was only fifteen when he started writing it and nineteen when it was published. His parents initially self-published it before it was bought and republished by Knopf in 2003. The series then spawned three sequels: Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance.
According to Variety’s sources, Paolini will serve as co-writer on the series, and Bert Salke will executive produce. Eragon was the third-best-selling children’s hardback book of 2003, and the series was very popular, despite reviews that found it derivative and clichéd. Those who enjoyed it complimented the characters and the straightforward storytelling that fantasy fans found engaging and comfortable.
This is not the first time that part of the series has been adapted. In 2006, a film adaptation starring Ed Speleers as Eragon, Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira, and Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, Djimon Hounsou, Garrett Hedlund, Joss Stone, and John Malkovich. I saw it in theaters, and it was … very underwhelming. It got terrible reviews from book fans and critics, canceling any hopes of a franchise before it started.
I was never a fan of Eragon, but there is no denying that there was a huge audience that was attracted to the series. Plus, with fantasy series becoming more popular as IP to adapt, it was only a matter of time before this came. Who would you like to see cast in the roles for those who were and are fans of this series?
(via Variety, featured image: 20th Century Fox)
