The How to Train Your Dragon movie will bring Toothless back, this time for the big screen in live-action. Here’s what we know so far.
Disney has been giving its best animated movies a lick of live-action paint since 2010’s Alice in Wonderland. The results have rarely matched the heights of its past, but the box office results speak for themselves.
DreamWorks has always been the House of Mouse’s main animated competition for new movies. And now, it’s looking to replicate the money-printing formula by remaking one of its best movies: How to Train Your Dragon.
Here’s what the studio has shared about the live-action film, including the cast and plot.
How to Train Your Dragon release date
The How to Train Your Dragon live-action release date is June 13, 2025.
The original release date was March 14, 2025, but it was pushed back due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Filming started on January 15, 2024, when director Dean DeBlois shared an appropriately viking-looking image from set in the Isle of Berk, saying, “First day of the shoot! We’re all excited to get underway!”
We know that production officially wrapped on May 16, 2024, so things are moving ahead as planned.
Who’s in the How to Train Your Dragon live-action cast?
Mason Thames stars as Hiccup in the How to Train Your Dragon movie cast alongside Nico Parker as Astrid.
How to Train Your Dragon movie cast list:
- Mason Thames as Hiccup
- Nico Parker as Astrid
- Gerard Butler as Stoick
- Nick Frost as Gobber the Belch
- Julian Dennison as Fishlegs
- Gabriel Howell as Snotlout
- Bronwyn James as Ruffnut
- Harry Trevaldwyn as Tuffnut
- Ruth Codd as Phlegma
- Peter Serafinowicz as TBA
The How to Train Your Dragon live-action flick is already boasting plenty of familiar faces, even if all of the line-up hasn’t quite been revealed yet.
Dennison has previously been seen in Deadpool 2 and Godzilla vs. Kong, while Howell and James have appeared in respective Netflix series Bodies and Lockwood & Co. Fans are also likely to recognize Codd from her turn in The Fall of the House of Usher.
Parker blew us away as Sarah in The Last of Us, and Thames did a wonderful job in horror film The Black Phone, too. The characters are in capable, age-appropriate hands. Of course, action juggernaut Butler essentially needs no introduction.
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It’s unclear whether Jay Baruchel, who voiced Hiccup, will have a little cameo. Other cast members in the trilogy included Jonah Hill as Snotlout, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs, T.J. Miler as Tuffnut, and Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut.
DeBlois, who directed all three animated films, will return to write and direct the live-action movie.
Unlike Disney remakes, this marks the first time the original filmmaker has been hired to give his animated predecessor a do-over in live-action.
Is there a trailer?
Universal Pictures unveiled their first look at the How to Train Your Dragon live-action film on November 18, 2024.
The minute-long teaser trailer showcased some fantastic visual effects. Hiccup’s best friend and Dragon Toothless look fantastic in this new live-action adaptation.
What will the How to Train Your Dragon live-action plot be?
The How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie will adapt the plot of the first animated film, though it’s unclear if there are plans to remake the whole trilogy.
The first film follows Hiccup, the son of a Viking village chieftain who befriends Toothless, a goofy dragon. One problem: Vikings hate dragons; fighting them is a way of life.
Across the trilogy, Hiccup’s bond with Toothless only grows stronger, whether they’re fighting dragon warlords, losing their parents, or seeking out the Hidden World. Further along, in The Hidden World, the story continues to tackle meaty subject matter like ageing, moving on, and self-wroth with grace.
Based off of the first teaser trailer, the live-action adaptation appears to be following the plot of the first animated film very closely. Some shots from the trailer scene for scene with that of the animated movie.
If the live-action films do their narratives justice, we’ll be as happy as Toothless is when he’s soaring through the sky.
That’s everything we know about the How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie. In the meantime, check out all of best new movies to stream this month, or seek out more animated adventures in the best Studio Ghibli movies and best kids horror movies — just like Shrek 5.
