Disney isn’t the only studio looking to their animation catalog for live-action inspiration. Universal is adapting DreamWorks Animation’s popular How to Train Your Dragon as a live-action movie (via Deadline). Director Dean DeBlois, who helmed the three How to Train Your Dragon animated films, will write, direct, and produce the live-action version. The adaptation already has a release date, too: March 14, 2025. That’s just about 15 years after the animated film premiered. According to The Hollywood Reporter, How to Train Your Dragon has found its human riders as well, with Mason Thames and Nico Parker starring as Hiccup and Astrid, respectively. Thames’ recent turn in The Black Phone and Parker’s short yet pivotal role as Joel’s daughter Sarah in The Last of Us make them familiar faces to audiences. Additional casting news for the How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie also reveals the return of a familiar face.
That’s right. The How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie will see Gerard Butler make the leap from voice to screen. In the animated versions of the movie, Butler gave life to Viking chief Stoick the Vast, who is also Hiccup’s father. And now he’ll do so literally. Deadline reveals that while “the studio went with new faces for Hiccup and Astrid since the actors that had previously voiced the characters are now adults, the idea of having Butler return as Stoick, the strong-willed Viking chief who is also a single father trying to raise his son, was too good to pass up.” It remains to be seen if How to Train Your Dragon‘s other stars, which include, Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, and Kristen Wiig, will appear in the live-action.
In the meantime, Nick Frost has also joined the cast as the viking, Gobber the Belch. And additionally, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn have come aboard the film. According to Variety, “Dennison, Howell, James and Trevaldwyn have been respectively cast as Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut.” Finally, Ruth Codd as come aboard as Phlegma, a Viking villager whose character was originally voiced by Ashley Jensen.
How to Train Dragon released in the United States on March 26, 2010. The film, which DeBlois co-directed with Chris Sanders, tells the story of a young Viking named Hiccup. Based on the book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, we watch as Hiccup meets Toothless the dragon and decides to help him instead of hunt him. Subsequent films in the trilogy further explore the relationship between the Vikings and the dragons, as well as Hiccup and Toothless’ bond.
The How to Train Your Dragon adaptation will mark DeBlois’ live-action directing debut. We don’t know yet if Universal has further plans to adapt the entire trilogy. Currently, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie is slated to release on June 13, 2025.
Originally published on May 30, 2023.
