An “Eragon” live-action TV series is in development at Disney+, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.
The series would be based on the Christopher Paolini young adult novel series “The Inheritance Cycle,” with “Eragon” being the first of the four books in that series.
According to sources, Paolini will serve as co-writer and co-showrunner, with the search currently on for a co-writer and co-showrunner to work alongside him as Paolini has never written for television before. Bert Salke will executive produce under his Co-Lab 21 banner, with 20th Television producing. Salke is currently under an overall deal with Disney Television Studios, of which 20th TV is a part.
Reps for Disney and Paolini did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
“The Inheritance Cycle” tells the story of a farmboy named Eragon who discovers an egg that hatches into a dragon he names Saphira. Through their bond and the help of his mentor Brom, Eragon learns to be a Dragon Rider, an ancient order that had long been thought to be wiped out by the evil king Galbatorix. Eragon and Saphira set out to defeat Galbatorix and free the land of Alagaësia from his tyranny.
“Eragon” was first self-published in 2002 before it was republished by Knopf in 2003. It was followed by “Eldest” in 2005, “Brisingr” in 2008, and “Inheritance” in 2011. The whole series has proven to be incredibly popular, with over 41 million copies sold worldwide.
Should the project move forward, it would not be first time that “Eragon” has been adapted for the screen. The book was previously adapted into a film of the same name in 2006 with Ed Speleers as Eragon, Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira, Jeremy Irons as Brom, and John Malkovich as Galbatorix. The film was widely panned by critics upon its release and grossed approximately $250 million at the worldwide box office against a reported budget of $100 million. In 2021, fans of the books began using the hashtag #EragonRemake in an effort to get Disney to produce a series version given their disappointment with the film.
“Eragon” would also be the latest high-profile YA novel series to get adapted into a Disney+ series. The streamer is currently working on a series version of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books starring Walker Scobell in the lead role.
Paolini is repped by WME and Writers House.