Get ready to ride, because How To Train Your Dragon is getting a live-action reboot.
HTTYD is one of the biggest DreamWorks animation franchises. You could look to the Shrek movies or the Kung Fu Panda franchise, but I always think of How To Train Your Dragon.
Whether it be my love for the best fantasy movies or my inherent desire to ride a mythical creature, this film series filled all the checkboxes, and the movies became some of my favorites when I watched them all the way through.
But, it seems DreamWorks is going the Disney live-action remake route, where they're taking beloved animated franchises and doing them in live action. How To Train You Dragon is the first, and this is what we know so far.
What Is The Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon Release Date?
How To Train Your Dragon has a set release date of June 13, 2025. Initially, it was supposed to come out in March 2025, but it was pushed back because of the SAG-AFTRA strike that was going on in 2023.
But that does mean it will be a part of our 2025 movie schedule.
Check Out The How To Train Your Dragon Teaser Trailer
If you’re a fan of this franchise and can’t wait to see what the live-action looks like, we have you covered, because a teaser has already come out. It features our stellar cast in very similar attire from the animated film, and a fully live-action Toothless! I’m already screaming.
The How To Train Your Dragon Live-Action Cast
With a live-action movie as anticipated as this one, you better believe that the How To Train Your Dragon cast is already stellar. Here is who you can expect to see:
Mason Thames as Hiccup
Arguably, Hiccup and Astrid were the heart of the franchise. Not only was their love story a great friends-to-lovers relationship, but they also became courageous leaders and ended up having their kids in movie spinoffs.
The How To Train Your Dragon reboot found both of its stars in May 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mason Thames will be portraying Hiccup.
Thames posted to his Instagram after the news to share how excited he was:
Thames is primarily known for his starring role in the 2022 horror movie, The Black Phone, where he co-starred alongside Ethan Hawke. He has also appeared in one of the best Apple TV+ shows, For All Mankind, and portrayed young Walker in Walker on the CW.
In fact, Nick Frost, a co-star of Thames in the film, commented on his performance in the movie in an interview with Collider in September 2024, saying that Thames had “funny bones” and was fun to watch shoot:
Even not when we're shooting, just watching him, watching how his body works is so weird and funny, and he has funny bones and he's lovely. I got to meet his family a lot and they're all lovely, and you can see why he's as grounded as he is when you see where he comes from. We had a lot of scenes together, and there wasn't one thing that I did during a scene that was unscripted that ruffled him at all. He just loved it. He loved to improvise. We loved to improvise together. I was like, 'Hey, why don't we try this?' And he’d be like, 'Yeah, let's do it!'
Nico Parker as Astrid
The second half of Hiccup and Astrid is, of course, Astrid, and The Hollywood Reporter also confirmed Nico Parker would play Astrid alongside Thames as Hiccup. Nico Parker has appeared in a few notable roles, including the live-action remake of Dumbo, as a part of the Reminiscence cast, and portrayed Sarah Miller in the HBO show, The Last of Us, which brought more acclaim.
Gerard Butler as Stoick
Deadline reported in January 2024 that Gerard Butler will play Stoick in the How To Train Your Dragon live-action movie. Butler voiced Stoick in the movies and will be reprising the live-action role, which is fantastic if you ask me.
Gerard Butler even spoke to Collider in November 2024 about his intense filming process as Stoick, talking about how he would take ice baths to deal with the cold and how it would affect him while filming:
So, at five in the morning, my [physical therapist] — because I'm like, 'I'm not going to put the ice in the bath,' — would come in and fill my bath with ice, and I would get in this ice bath, but outside it would be dark with wind blowing, soaking wet. You know how freezing it was. At least if you're doing an ice bath and you're in LA it's a blue sky. This was like, 'I am going out into that’... I had seven layers, thick layers, and a thick beard, and then I had a kind of bearskin or wolfskin over it. It was heavy as sh*t….when I had my sword and my shield and the helmet, which was heavy, and all those layers with the clasps that went around, it was 90 pounds, my costume. I was, in the middle of the coldest day, soaking wet from sweat inside because it was like a furnace in there.
Truthfully, this just makes me more excited.
Nick Frost as Gobber the Belch
Next is Nick Frost, who The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in early January 2024 to play Gobber the Belch in How to Train Your Dragon. He's best known for his role in Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Talk about an A+ actor for the movie.
Julian Dennison as Fishlegs
Four other cast members were confirmed by Deadline in late January 2024. The first one is Julian Dennison, who will be playing Fishlegs. The actor is primarily known for his roles in Deadpool 2 and The Christmas Chronicles 2.
Gabriel Howell as Snotlout
Gabriel Howell was also confirmed by Deadline, and he will play Snotlout. The young actor has appeared in the TV show, Bodies, and was in the film The Fence.
Bronwyn James as Ruffnut
Deadline announced that Bronwyn James would play Ruffnut. The actress has appeared in shows such as Lockwood & Co (a Netflix show canceled way too soon), Slow Horses, Harlots, Silent Witness, and many others.
Harry Trevaldwyn as Tuffnut
The last actor Deadline confirmed was Harry Trevaldwyn as Tuffnut. The actor is primarily known for his roles in Smothered, Ten Percent, and the film The Bubble.
Ruth Codd as Phlegma
Reported as the last cast member in March 2024, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Ruth Codd would play Phlegma in How To Train Your Dragon. The actress has appeared in two Mike Flanagan horror TV shows, The Midnight Club and The Fall of the House of Usher.
Jeez, talk about an impressive cast. I just need this move to come out now, thanks.
What The Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon Is About
There’s a few things we know about the upcoming film. Here are some things to point out:
The Live-Action Film Is Based On The Animated Trilogy Of The Same Name
If you've gotten this far, you know that the How To Train Your Dragon live-action movie is based on the trilogy of the same name from DreamWorks animation. The Hollywood Reporter announced it in February 2023.
The film franchise, which was based on the book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, followed the story of Hiccup, a well-meaning but unheroic Viking who befriends an injured dragon named Toothless, with the two of them coming together to show that dragons and humans can get along.
The trilogy was a classic coming-of-age story that showed Hiccup growing up and going through life changes, such as falling in love, losing family members, learning to lead, and so much more and was beloved by many.
However, Nico Parker did say in an interview with Collider in February 2024 that she believes the movie is “its own thing” but is still just magical as the original film, stating that she thinks it’s “wonderful:”
I think it’s very much its own thing, but I’d like to think so much of that magic is also prevalent in this one. But I think it’s its own film and it’s its own interpretation and everyone has their own version of a character. It’s important not to get too wrapped up, especially because the animated ones are so brilliant. It’s like, let’s not try and just do a play by play of that. And if anyone wants that, they can watch the animated ones. I think it’ll be wonderful, and if it isn’t, I’m having a wonderful time making it anyway. I’ll think it’s wonderful, no matter what.
It will be interesting to see how that's all adapted into live action.
The Stakes Will Be “Dialed Up”
The movies for How To Train Your Dragon are pretty much considered perfect, so there had to be a good reason as to why the film would be remade into a live-action. The director, Dean DeBlois, said in an interview with Empire in November 2024 that in order to make it better in live-action, that they would be “dialing” up the stakes to make it even more intense, especially with the dragons:
It’s so dialled-up in terms of stakes — having a fully credible, photo-real dragon stomping around trying to kill him.
Okay, now I’m even more amped for this show.
Dean DeBlois Is Directing, Writing And Producing
Something else that came with The Hollywood Reporter article about the casting announcement was that Dean DeBlois is back in the director's chair for the live-action movie, which we also talked about above.
If that name sounds familiar, it's because DeBlois was the director behind all three animated HTTYD movies, so he knows what he's doing.
Something also good to point out is that the original composer will be back too. John Powell posted on his Instagram in February 2023 regarding the new film, saying that he will be “back with Dragons” so this will be a full How To Train Your Dragon reunion.
What are you looking forward to with the How To Train Your Dragon live-action film? I'll need to rewatch those movies to fall in love with Toothless again – and get even more excited now that we know what he looks like in live-action!
