‘How to Train Your Dragon’ live-action remake finds its leads

“How to Train Your Dragon” fans rejoice — or despair. A “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action remake, based on the 2010 animated film of the same name, is officially in the works at Universal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action remake joins a list of remakes of relatively recent movies, including “Moana,” “Lilo & Stitch” and more. Here’s everything we know about the live-action “How to Train Your Dragon.”

Will there be a live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ movie?

Universal is officially working on a live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” directed by Dean DeBlois, according to The Hollywood Reporter. DeBlois directed the original animated trilogy. The remake, officially announced in February, is set to start filming this summer, according to IGN.

Who is playing Hiccup in the live-action movie?

Hiccup, originally voiced by actor Jay Burachel, will be played by 15-year-old actor Mason Thames. Thames also starred in the horror film “The Black Phone.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The search for the live-action counterparts took many months of looking” due to filmmakers looking for “actors who could grow into the roles as much as the characters themselves grew into maturity.”

This is likely due to the original animated trilogy — all three “How to Train Your Dragon” movies chronicle the coming-of-age stories of Hiccup, Astrid and other supporting characters.

Who plays Astrid in ‘How to Train Your Dragon’?

Astrid was originally played by actress America Ferrera. In the live-action remake, Astrid will be played by 18-year-old “The Last of Us” actress Nico Parker.

Parker impressed viewers and critics alike in her portrayal of Sarah, Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) daughter in the first episode of the HBO hit “The Last of Us.” While she was only in one episode, Collider praised the young actress, saying that the first episode was touching due to “Parker’s limited, yet effective performance.”

When will the live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ remake be released?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action remake will be released March 14, 2025.

What is ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ about?

The original “How to Train Your Dragon” animated films are based on the books of the same name by Cressida Cowell, per The Hollywood Reporter. The first film follows Hiccup, the clumsy and wiry son of the Viking Chief Stoick. Deemed too weak to fight, Hiccup stumbles upon a young Night Fury dragon who he names Toothless and proceeds to train in secret.

The series, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “chronicled Hiccup and Toothless’ quest to combat humanity’s prejudice against dragons.” The animated trilogy got progressively more mature as the characters aged, touching on topics such as first love, death, family and more.

The last film of the trilogy, “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” premiered in 2019. It received a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com gave the movie 3¹⁄₂ stars, saying, “The final chapter of the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ saga is visually stunning and emotionally satisfying, with a conclusion that may leave the parents in the audience a little tearful.”