After we tearfully said goodbye to the adventures of a young Viking named Hiccup and his dragon friend Toothless with 2019’s trilogy closer, How To Train Your Dragon is coming back! However, it won't be in the same form for which you know the franchise. Universal Pictures is actively developing a live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie, and has even set a release date for the project!
If all goes according to plan, Universal will release this new form of How To Train Your Dragon on March 14, 2025, per The Hollywood Reporter. The upcoming movie is set to be written, produced and directed by its original creator, Dean DeBlois. The search for the cast of the movie is currently in progress.
The announcement of the project marks the first time a DreamWorks animation project has ever been adapted into live action for Universal. It’s something that the Walt Disney Company has certainly had success with over the years with remaking its animated classics like The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland and Aladdin.
Per the report, it looks like Universal’s How To Train Your Dragon will adapt the first 2010 movie, but in an exciting turn from other Disney live-action movies, this project will mark the first time a remake is being helmed by the same person who made the original animated movies. Marc Platt, the accomplished producer behind movies like La La Land, Drive and Cruella, is involved as a producer on the movie as DeBlois gets ready to direct his first live-action feature.
Directed By: Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois
Written By: Will Davies, Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
Cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Gerald Butler, Craig Ferguson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, David Tennant
Where To Stream: Freevee w/ ads
Vikings and dragons will certainly be a sight to see in live action and could become a huge blockbuster for Universal after the animated franchise became beloved among audiences. The DreamWorks trilogy grossed $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office and each movie shared acclaim from critics and audiences alike. The franchise also inspired numerous spinoffs for television and streaming over the years as well.
It’s also interesting news given DeBlois has previously shared concerns over Disney’s decision to remake one of his other films, Lilo & Stitch, for live action. DeBlois said he felt that adapting his alien creation of Stitch may be “disturbing” in CG form. In CinemaBlend’s interview last year with DeBlois, the filmmaker wished those involved with the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch well and shared his thoughts on making sequels to his beloved films, like How To Train Your Dragon.
If How To Train Your Dragon translates well to live action, we have to wonder if Universal Pictures will follow in the footsteps of Disney and adapt more of its well-loved properties from animation to live action. Could Shrek, Kung Fu Panda or Madagascar find themselves being remade as well? We’ll be on the lookout!
The next How To Train Your Dragon movie is a little over two years away, but the next live-action movie based on a beloved animated film is the Halle Bailey-led The Little Mermaid, the 2023 movie release coming to theaters on May 26.
