Synopsis
In the land of Alagaesia, farm boy Eragon discovers a mysterious blue stone that hatches into a dragon. Their bond makes him the last hope of an oppressed people and draws him into a dangerous conflict with the tyrannical King Galbatorix. Guided by the wandering Brom, Eragon must learn the ways of the Dragon Riders before the king's forces destroy the rebellion.
Factoids & Trivia
- The film is loosely based on Christopher Paolini's 2002 fantasy novel and was intended to begin a movie series adapted from the Inheritance Cycle.
- Principal photography took place in Hungary and Slovakia, with filming beginning in August 2005 and concluding the following month.
- Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Digital, and Cinesite contributed visual effects and animation for the film, including the creation of Saphira.
- The production had an estimated budget of $100 million and earned approximately $250.4 million worldwide.
- Ed Speleers and Joss Stone made their film debuts in Eragon.
- The movie was released in the United States on December 15, 2006, and was among the last major films released on VHS in the country before the format was discontinued.
- Fox considered continuing the series, and plans were discussed for filming the next two installments back-to-back. Those plans were abandoned after the film received poor reviews and disappointed many fans of the novel.
- The adaptation was criticized for compressing and altering major parts of the book, with the filmmakers reducing a story of more than 500 pages to a feature running roughly 104 minutes.