Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless are returning to the big screen, but this time, in live-action. Here is everything we know about the How to Train Your Dragon live action adaptation.
Time to fly back to Berk.
The highly acclaimed 2010 animated Dreamworks film How to Train Your Dragon, like many other animated features in recent years, is getting a live action adaptation. And based on the teaser trailer released earlier this week by Universal, unlike a lot of live action remakes that have fallen short of expectations, this one actually looks really promising.
Inspired by the book by Cressida Crowell, the original How to Train Your Dragon film launched the beloved franchise, which consists of three feature films, four television series, as well as short films, comics, graphic novels, and tie-in video games. The Dreamworks franchise has earned four Academy Award nominations and grossed more than $1.6 billion at the global box-office.
The story centers on Hiccup, the scrawny, outcast Viking son of Chief Stoick, who lives on the isle of Berk, where Vikings and Dragons have been feuding for decades. The Viking village believes that dragons are dangerous and continue to be at war with them. While on a mission to kill a dragon to prove himself to his father, Hiccup befriends Toothless, a night fury dragon. As he further bonds and takes care of Toothless, he learns more about the dragon species and discovers that they don’t terrorize Vikings out of maliciousness. With help from Toothless, Hiccup proves himself as he challenges his fellow Vikings’ prejudice towards dragons and leads them to confront the truth about dragons.
Along with the minute long teaser trailer, here is everything we know so far about the How to Train Your Dragon live action adaptation:
The Cast: Who is bringing the vikings to life?
It was announced back in May 2023 that Mason Thames would be playing Hiccup, and rising British star Nico Parker would be portraying Astrid. Both young stars are early in their careers but have already proven to be more than promising as leads.
Seventeen-year-old Thames established himself in the immensely successful 2022 film The Black Phone, alongside four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke. He also starred across Oscar Winner Mel Gibson in the recently released kids-horror film Monster Summer. Nineteen-year-old Parker is a BAFTA nominee, and made her acting debut in Tim Burton’s live action Disney remake of Dumbo in 2019. She is widely recognized for her role in the HBO hit series The Last of Us, as Sarah Miller, the daughter of Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal.
Most notably, Gerard Butler will be reprising his role as Chief Stoick, who he voiced in the animated feature films. This is an enthusiastic nod to the fans of the original animated feature, and based on the teaser, Butler seems to really bring the Chief to life.
The remake includes a host of other familiar names, including Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).
Who is directing and producing the How to Train Your Dragon live action adaptation?
If you thought some scenes from the live action teaser looked eerily similar to the animated film, nearly frame by frame, it’s not your imagination. The visionary who directed the original feature, three-time Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Dean DeBlois, returned to write, produce and direct his animated vision to life.
In the How To Train Your Dragon first look released by Universal on Wednesday, DeBlois said he is returning to the franchise because returning to the reimagined world was an incredible opportunity for him and that he missed the world and the characters. Adventure, wonder, bravery, and finding your voice and finding your own convictions are key elements of the story that make it so magical, he said.
If you need any more convincing about Thames’ and Parker’s performances as Hiccup and Astrid, DeBlois said he handpicked them himself, and that once on set, both actors came alive and embodied the core characters in a way that he felt no other actors could.
The remake is also produced by three-time Oscar nominee Marc Platt (Wicked) and Emmy winner Adam Siegel (Drive).
When will the new How to Train Your Dragon movie be released, and when can we expect a full trailer?
The fantasy adventure will have a wide theatrical release on June 13, 2025, and will also be released in 3D and IMAX. It was originally slated for March 14, 2025, but was pushed back due to the SAG-AFRA strike in 2023. There has been no word on a full trailer release date, but fans should be expecting one sometime next spring.
Where will the live action remake fit into the franchise among the animated movies, video games, television series, etc?
It hasn’t been confirmed whether the live action adaptation will affect the already established timeline and events in the franchise. However, since it’s written and directed by DeBlois, from what we’ve seen in the teaser, this live action appears to be nearly a play by play of the original, so fans should expect it to fit into the timeline in the same place where the 2010 feature is chronologically.
Is John Powell coming back to compose the score?
Yes! How to Train Your Dragon has one of the most recognizable animated film scores of all time, and John Powell, who worked on the original trilogy, is coming back to compose the live-action score. You may have caught the iconic notes of Test Drive playing softly as a piano cover in the back of the teaser before crescendoing to an epic orchestral version at the end.
There is still much to be seen about the How to Train Your Dragon live action adaptation – hopefully, this teaser trailer is just the beginning. The remake very obviously seems to be a passion project for DeBlois, and he has said the same about the cast — its shaping up to be an undertaking out of love and respect for the original.
The new How To Train Your Dragon live action movie will be released in US theaters, in UK cinemas, and globally in theaters on June 13, 2025. Keep checking this page for news and updates!
