There’s Never Been a Better Time To Reboot ‘Eragon’

The Big Picture

• The previous film adaptation of Eragon failed due to its infidelity to the source material and lackluster character development, relationships, and world-building.
• The new Eragon series must adhere to the original storyline and focus on fleshing out characters and relationships for a successful viewing experience.
• The series should prioritize effective world-building, including the inclusion of dynamic female characters, the races of dwarves and elves, and the intricate lore of magic, to create a deliberate and captivating storytelling experience.

As the interest in YA fantasy novels piqued in 2023, many previously panned film adaptations have been given a second chance to succeed. Subsequently, there is no better time for Disney+ to announce their intention to reboot a fan-favorite fantasy, Eragon, into a series instead of a film. Eragon is the first installment of Christopher Paolini‘s The Inheritance Cycle and was adapted into a 2006 film that was a box office disaster. The film flopped largely due to infidelity to the source material, which alienated their fanbase, in addition to the lackluster character development, relationships, world-building, casting choices and seemingly healthy $100 million budget that was still inadequate for the grand world of Alagaësia. The sour taste left in fans mouths after watching the 2006 adaptation is finally fading, and the fantastical characters and adventures of Eragon deserve redemption in this new era of YA fantasy adaptations.

Fortunately, the new Eragon series can learn from its predecessor’s momentous mistakes and create a viewing experience that encapsulates the mythical essence of Paolini’s mesmerizing work. Adhering to the original storyline is crucial for the series’ success, especially since the 2006 film tried to cram the lengthy source material into a mere 1 hour and 43 minutes. But most importantly, the series needs to focus on fleshing out characters and establishing relationships, particularly those between the protagonist Eragon and his dragon Saphira, and Eragon and his mentor Brom. Dynamic female characters, the races of dwarves and elves and the lore of magic also need to be included for effective and deliberate storytelling. Considering Paolini’s involvement has been confirmed as a co-writer on Disney+’s new series, the chances of our favorite characters getting the narrative they deserve is optimistic.

YA Novel Adaptations Have Resurged

Recently, there has been a huge resurgence of film and TV show adaptations of YA novels. From the wholesome queer romance in Heartstopper to the dystopian origin story in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, audiences are escaping into the worlds that originated on paper. There has particularly been a comeback in YA fantasy, an era we thought we left behind with Twilight and The Maze Runner. Earlier this year, we saw the Grishaverse come to life in Netflix’s now canceled Shadow and Bone and were even rewarded with a new season of The Witcher. With such a dense influx of YA fantasy adaptations, it is only fair that we give a second thought to Paolini’s Eragon. Even Percy Jackson is being given redemption this year, so why not Eragon? Like Percy Jackson’s 2010 adaptation, the 2006 film adaptation of Eragon has been panned by fans and has countless blunders and questionable choices, leading to a jumbled imitation of the source material.

The ‘Eragon’ Reboot Needs To Spend Time on Storytelling

Fortunately, after the “unplanned” reveal of Disney+’s new adaptation, Paolini announced his involvement on Twitter: “an Eragon television series is in development at Disney+, and I’m attached to both co-write and produce!” The author recently returned to the world of Alagaësia with the novel Murtagh which picks up immediately after The Inheritance Cycle. Creating dynamic characters and a deliberate storyline is crucial for Eragon’s success, particularly since the source material is quite lengthy. Eragon’s 2006 adaptation tried to cram the 500 pages of magic and adventure into a sub-two hour film, forcing them to cut and paste random sequences together and completely eliminate major scenes. One such scene involves the shattering of the Star Sapphire in Farthen Dûr (the dwarf stronghold) during the finale.

Instead of allocating the majority of the time to Eragon’s (Ed Speleers) and Brom’s (Jeremy Irons) growing bond and hazardous journey, the film rushes through the fundamental aspects of the hero’s journey and adds in unnecessary scenes that include the antagonist, King Galbatorix and the Shade — a dark sorcerer — Durza (Robert Carlyle). Galbatorix is supposed to be a malevolent presence that is talked about, not seen, in the first installment and consequently, seeing him on his ridiculous throne diminishes his powerful stance in the story. The additional scenes of Durza were also redundant, even if, ironically, Carlyle was one of the few decent casting choices (alongside Irons’ Brom) in the whole film, despite his appalling makeup. We can only hope that the new series will be loyal to the source material and avoid these redundant scenes.

The ‘Eragon’ Series Needs More Effective World-Building

World-building is also a fundamental aspect to fantasy stories, which is effectively seen in Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Learning from these successful series will allow Eragon’s new adaptation to purposefully establish its complex magic system and Alagaësia’s politics. The 2006 film completely departed from the rules of magic, claiming that dragons die when their riders do and also making Eragon suddenly adept at magic without training. Magic systems in fantasy worlds have always had checks and balances. The one in Eragon is particularly fascinating, with magic being derived from energy for Riders, spirits for sorcerers and sorceresses, and potions for witches and warlocks.

Another heinous crime the 2006 adaptation committed was omitting the elven and dwarf races, whose presence and histories complicate the binary between the rebel group, the Varden and the Empire, helmed by Galbatorix. We can only hope the production team doesn’t follow the emerging 6-8 episode per season trend, and instead create an appropriate number of episodes that properly explore the elaborate world of Eragon.

Eragon’s Relationships With Brom and Saphira Need To Be at the Forefront of a Reboot

The first installment of any fantasy series always focuses on the protagonist and their hero’s journey to accepting their central role in a wider conflict. In The Inheritance Cycle’s case, it is Eragon, a young farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and is whisked away to dangerous adventures alongside the town storyteller, Brom. As such, the bulk of the first novel explores his relationship with his dragon and his mentor as he learns swordsmanship and the basics of magic. The 2006 adaptation merely touches on this part, leading to a lack of investment on our part, especially when Brom dies — a scene that is supposed to make us weep.

Both Eragon’s relationships with Saphira and Brom are filled with dry humor and wit, a vital aspect that makes their bonds endearing and relatable. These seemingly meaningless conversations are what grounds fantasy stories and make us emotionally invested in the characters, and therefore are crucial to the new series. That being said, translating Eragon’s and Saphira’s telepathic bond onto the screen can be difficult, but at least Disney+ has a “what not to do” guide in the 2006 Eragon adaptation. These relationships create the foundation for Eragon’s hero’s journey, which particularly influence his later decisions in The Inheritance Cycle, despite Brom’s premature death. It is also important to note that Eragon’s development throughout this first installment impacts his decision in the ending, where he is telepathically called upon by Osthato Chetowä, The Mourning Sage, a key character in the second installment that further propagates his growth.

‘Eragon’s Female Characters Need Redemption

The 2006 adaptation of Eragon dramatically failed its female characters, making their personalities bland and non-existent. Even Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz) was a victim to this, where her complex amalgamation of youth and wisdom was diminished into an arbitrary guardian-like figure. Not to mention that advancements in CGI should definitely result in a more powerful looking dragon. But it was most pertinent in the characterization of Arya (Sienna Guillory) and the curtailed role of Angela (Joss Stone). If you hadn’t read the novel, the film would have left you with the impression that Arya was simply a starstruck girl that was adequate in combat. In contrast, the original rendering of Arya involves a powerful elf who is a master of both swordsmanship and magic, and who also has a healthy mixture of respect and wariness towards Eragon. She is haunted and conflicted by her responsibilities and loyalties, which makes her something of a lone wolf.

In comparison, Angela is not a cliché witch in purple drabs that only momentarily appears to read Eragon’s fortune. She is unorthodox, cheeky and has a curious temperament that makes her insanely likable. Now that we have had plenty of practice at creating dynamic and complex female characters, there is an abundance to be inspired from when making the new series. The source material would have been enough of a guide to create these characters — therefore, there is no excuse for poorly written women in Disney+’s series. As such, with Eragon’s previous failure, there is more pressure than ever for the new series to fulfill every fan’s fantasy of a world where dragons, magic and danger lurk in every corner.

Eragon is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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