FILM · 2006 · UK
Eragon
38 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (38)
- #001
Many fans of the book were upset by Stefen Fangmeier's decisions to cut important characters and plotlines; according to him, these cuts were made for pacing reasons, condensing a book of more than 500 pages into a 100-minute film.
- #002
Director Stefen Fangmeier planned to shoot the second and third films back to back, and plans were made to adapt the series' other three books as well. After negative reactions from both audiences and critics, the sequel ideas were cancelled. The film performed poorly but earned a modest amount ($250 million against a $100 million budget), enough for Fox to consider a second film, but the backlash from fans and critics was bad enough to cancel the sequel plans.
- #003
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart were offered the role of Brom, but turned it down due to their commitments to X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
- #004
This was the directorial debut of Stefen Fangmeier, known mainly for his visual effects work on Terminator 2 (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993) and as second unit director on Galaxy Quest (1999). The film's overwhelmingly negative reviews and disappointing box office returns damaged his directing career, and he has not directed another film since.
- #005
Before Ed Speleers was cast, Alex Pettyfer had been offered the role of Eragon. Pettyfer said he turned the role down partly because Eragon was to be shot in Budapest and because he is afraid of flying.
- #006
Saphira's flight movements were modeled on the movements of an eagle.
- #007
There are more than fifty differences between the plot of the film and that of the book.
- #008
Murtagh's (Garrett Hedlund) name is mentioned only once in the film. Nasuada's (Caroline Chikezie) name is never spoken. King Hrothgar's (Gary Lewis) name or title is never spoken either.
- #009
Elijah Wood and Shia LaBeouf were considered for the role of Eragon.
- #010
The film's final writing credits were not settled until days before its release, which led to posters listing various combinations of Peter Buchman, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal and Jesse Wigutow for the screenplay. In the end, the WGA decided that Buchman should receive sole screenplay credit.
- #011
Christopher Paolini, the author of the original novel, expressed a wish to appear in a small role in the film, specifically as a warrior who is beheaded in the Battle of Farthen Dur. However, he was unable to do so because of the constraints of his European book tour.
- #012
Emily Blunt was rejected for the role of Arya, for which she auditioned. During this film's casting process she caught the attention of a casting director at Fox, which led to her being cast in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
- #013
Arya's hair was supposed to be black.
- #014
Ed Speleers was a boarding student at Eastbourne College when he beat out 180,000 other candidates to win the title role of Eragon.
- #015
This was Joss Stone's first film role.
- #016
Eragon tries to save Brom with the magic words "Waisse heill!" This is an inside joke for language enthusiasts. "Waes hael" ("Be well!") was an Old English drinking toast and is the source of the word "wassail," a type of Christmas punch.
- #017
Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich had previously appeared together in The Man in the Iron Mask.
- #018
Saphira grows immediately after her first flight in the film, whereas in the novel a month passes as Eragon bonds with her before she ages. Stefan Fangmeier made the change deliberately for pacing reasons, since Durza is already hunting Saphira and Eragon in the film, creating a sense of impending danger, and he did not want to undermine the threat by showing Eragon and Saphira hanging out together for a month. The change drew backlash from fans and critics for sacrificing any character development for Eragon and Saphira by rushing her maturity.
- #019
In the novel, the Urgals are described as horned troll-like monsters, unlike the film, where they resemble dirty, red-eyed orcs.
- #020
In the novel, the Razac are terrifying bird-like humanoids, unlike this film adaptation, where they are zombie-like creatures covered in bandages and insects.
- #021
In the novels, Brom is actually Eragon's biological father. This was revealed in the third book, Brisingr, but it is never touched upon in the film because potential sequels were cancelled. Eragon's mother, Selena, has already died by the events of the film, and her backstory is detailed in the sequel novels.
- #022
Eragon was Ed Speleers's first feature film.
- #023
Durza looks more monstrous as the film progresses, a stylistic choice by Stefan Fangmeier, who wanted his makeup to change gradually and his appearance to worsen over the course of the film.
- #024
The Varden woman Ágnes Bánfalvy originally had a larger role as the person who asks Eragon to bless her baby. The scene was cut from the theatrical version but is included in the film's deleted scenes material. She is listed as "Mother" in the credits and can still be seen in the background with other Varden villagers.
- #025
Guy Pearce was considered for the role of the Shade Durza.
- #026
The final aerial battle between Eragon, Saphira and Durza did not come from the novel; it was created to give the film an exciting finale.
- #027
The conscription scene in the film did not originate from the novel and was instead created for the film adaptation.
- #028
Arya is assumed to be an elf as described in the novel, but she is never referred to as an elf in the film and does not look like one. Only the audio commentary calls her one, in which Stefan Fangmeier establishes that she is meant to be an elf.
- #029
The name Eragon (stylized entirely in lowercase as eragon) was inspired by two things: dragon with one letter changed, and dragon gone through an age as in the past. Critics who accused Paolini of plagiarism also noted that the name resembles Aragorn in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels.
- #030
This is the second film in which Jeremy Irons appears alongside dragons; the first was Dungeons & Dragons (2000).
- #031
Just like the source novel this film is based on, the main criticism of this film was the accusation that it was an obvious copy of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and J. R. R. Tolkien's works, and such plagiarism accusations plagued Christopher Paolini's entire writing career.
- #032
The fortune teller Angela is the only human character in the film and, accordingly, in the source novel has a relatively normal name rather than a fantasy or unusual one. She is named after Christopher Paolini's real-life sister Angela, on whom she is based.
- #033
Galbatorix never actually appears in the source novel and is instead spoken of as a terrible evil that Eragon will eventually have to face. In this film he appears in the flesh, played by John Malkovich.
- #034
Sienna Guillory turned down the chance to reprise her role as Jill Valentine in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) in order to shoot this film.
- #035
Ten years earlier, both Jeremy Irons and Rachel Weisz had appeared in Stealing Beauty (1996).
- #036
Three actors, Garrett Hedlund, Ed Speleers and Jeremy Irons, share the middle name John.
- #037
Alun Armstrong had appeared 23 years earlier in the 1983 fantasy film Krull. The film was about the friendship between a prince and his companions as they set out to rescue a princess from the fortress of the aliens invading their world.
- #038
Gary Lewis, who plays Hrothgar in this film, and Colum Mackenzie in the series "Outlander," shares scenes in this film with the lead character played by Ed Speleers, who would later play Stephen Bonnet in that same series.
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