Universe Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon ended up being one of the most successful movies of 2025, earning both positive critical reception and making over $636 million worldwide. But as a sign of approval of the movie’s quality made several months before the public got to see it, Universal decided to keep this film series going by greenlighting the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2. It was announced earlier this week that Cate Blanchett will reprise her role of Valka in the sequel, and while that news delighted me, I can’t say the same about the latest casting for a specific reason.
Drago Has Been Cast In How To Train Your Dragon 2
Deadline reports that Ólafur Darri Ólafsson has been cast as Drago Bludvist, How to Train Your Dragon 2’s main antagonist. Previously voiced by Djimon Hounsou in the 2014 animated movie of the same name, Drago is a warlord and dragon hunter who is determined to conquer the world using a dragon army. This brings him into conflict with Hiccup, Toothless and the other protagonists roughly five years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, assuming this timeline is kept intact for the live-action version.
This will actually be Ólafur Darri Ólafsson’s second time performing in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, as he previously voiced Ragnar the Rock in 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. You may also recognize him from movies and TV shows like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Murder Mystery, Severance and Your Friends and Neighbors, to name a few (those latter two shows can be streamed with an Apple TV subscription). Ólafsson and Cate Blanchett join returning cast members Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn.
Why This Drago Casting Disappoints Me
Let me first say that my disappointment over the Drago casting isn’t because I don’t like Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. While I’m not too familiar with his work, he was cast in How to Train Your Dragon 2 for a good reason, and I’m sure he’ll do well in the role. It’s just that I would have rather Djimon Hounsou returned to play Drago, just like Cate Blanchett with Valka and Gerard Butler with Stoick.
Hounsou is no stranger to Hollywood blockbusters, with his credits including Gladiator, Guardians of the Galaxy, Furious 7, the Shazam! movies and both parts of Rebel Moon, among others. His distinctive voice also paired well with Drago’s intimidating personality, and while the actor may not really physically resemble Drago, that shouldn’t have been a stumbling block to bringing Hounsou back. It’s been a while since we’ve seen him play the primary villain in a movie, and I was looking forward to the prospect of seeing Hounsou physically inhabit Drago after doing such a great job voicing him.
This doesn’t mean I’m no longer anticipating How to Train Your Dragon 2’s June 11, 2027 release, it just feels like a missed opportunity to not bring Djimon Hounsou aboard. Oh well, at least I can revisit the original three movies with a Peacock subscription should the mood strike, and I’ll continue staying informed on the other actors who will join the next installment of the live-action film series.
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