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Disney Plus remake of Eragon is trending, author chimes in

The original film was a flop, but fans of the books think a remake might be exactly what the story needs.

Steph Panecasio Former Editor
Steph Panecasio was an Editor based in Sydney, Australia. She knows a lot about the intersection of death, technology and culture. She's a fantasy geek who covers science, digital trends, video games, subcultures and more. Outside work, you'll most likely find her rewatching Lord of the Rings or listening to D&D podcasts.
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Steph Panecasio
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Ed Speleers and Jeremy Irons starred in the original film.

 20th Century Fox

Over 50,000 tweets are calling for streaming giant Disney Plus to turn its mammoth head toward the much-loved (and sadly maligned) Eragon fandom. Fans are hoping the company will remake the poorly received 2006 film.

Given that Disney now has the rights to properties once owned by 20th Century Fox, and given the success of Disney Plus' recent Marvel series -- namely WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and now Loki -- it's not difficult to see why fans feel comfortable entrusting their favorite series to Disney.

The original film was an undeniable flop, with only a 16% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It admittedly had a stacked cast, with Ed Speleers' Eragon supported by John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons, Robert Carlyle, Rachel Weisz and Djimon Hounsou. But all that talent wasn't enough to save it from a script that didn't stick to the source material and, frankly, was derivative at best.

Eragon author Christopher Paolini chimed in with the tweets, adding his voice of support to the crowd.

A #Remake section has been added to a popular fan site, saying, "The Inheritance Cycle is long overdue for an adaptation on screen. Many fans have written to studios with this plea, so far without success - because they were each working alone. The time has come to stand together, unified in our call for an adaptation! With a fandom as large as ours, an organised and consistent message has a real chance of making an impact."

But the books themselves are well regarded and are seen as must-reads for younger fantasy readers, so the Twitter storm rages on.

The 2006 film is currently available to stream on Disney Plus if you want to see for yourself how well (or not well) the story was originally adapted.