The dragons and human riders will take to the skies yet again in the live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon, as Universal has found its Hiccup and Astrid. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Black Phone star Mason Thames and Nico Parker, the rising actress last seen in HBO’s The Last of Us, have been tapped to play the respective characters.
Dean DeBlois, the director of the entire trilogy from DreamWorks Animation, will be helming and writing the remake, which was officially announced in February this year. Three-time best picture Oscar nominee Marc Platt and Adam Siegel are serving as producers, with filming set to kick off this summer.
The reboot is dated for a 14 March 2025 theatrical release. Details are scarce at the moment, and it’s unclear if it’ll adapt the events in the the first movie or feature a new story altogether. In the animated films, Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera were cast as the voice of Hiccup and Astrid respectively.
Based on Cressida Cowell’s beloved book series, How to Train Your Dragon follows a young Viking Hiccup, the injured dragon Toothless, and their friend Astrid as they forge an unlikely friendship, and teach the people of Berk to coexist with dragons. It turned out to be a crown jewel for DreamWorks, with the three movies bringing in a global box office haul of US$2 billion.
The first feature, released in 2010, earned Academy Award nominations for best animated film and best score. DeBlois wrote and directed it with Chris Sanders, taking over the reins solo when the latter went on to direct the 2013 animated movie, The Croods. The second and third entries would later go on to bag Oscar nominations for best animated film.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Natalie
Trinity Sun
