With the movie Eragon coming out soon, I started wondering how the movie might have come about…
Starving Script Writer: Let me tell you about this GREAT idea I have for a movie. It’s a medieval-fantasy type movie.
Producer: No, audiences have had their fill with those kinds of movies. Lord of the Rings, you see.
Starving Script Writer: But the movie is called Eragon! It sounds like Aragorn, maybe people will be confused and see the movie anyway!
Producer: Brilliant! Where did you think of that name?
Starving Script Writer: I took the word “dragon” and shifted a letter.
Producer: Well, I’m sold. Do you have ideas for the cast?
Starving Script Writer: I was thinking Jeremy Irons, since the last movie of this sort that he did was all the rage.
Needless to say, I’m sick of seeing advertisements for this movie everywhere I look. I’m not going to see it! Quit asking!
You know that this movie is based on a (fairly humdrum) novel written by a 15 year-old kid, right? And that it has sold a bazillion copies. And that it’s the first book in a trilogy. And that the second book has been out for a while.
You knew all that, right?
So, in fact the scenario went like this:
Starving Script Writer: I have this great idea for a movie.
Producer: Shut up and get out of my office you no-name bastard! I’m going to produce a movie based on an existing and successful license so that I don’t have to waste money on things like “quality” or “originality” and can cut lots of corners but the frothing masses will still flock to it just because it’s based on their favorite book! Mwahahahaha!
Yes I knew all that. My main point was to poke fun at the name and wonder out loud if anyone was paying attention to the last dragon movie made with Jeremy Irons (because it flopped).