How to Train Your Dragon Remake Casts Live-Action Hiccup and Astrid

The live-action How to Train Your Dragon adaptation has found its stars, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The report notes the two main leads for the film have been cast.

According to the outlet, Mason Thames (The Black Phone) and Nico Parker (The Last of Us) will star in the film as protagonists Hiccup and Astrid. No other casting information is available as of yet, but the film will be directed by Dean DeBlois — director and writer of all three animated films.

Currently, THR reports that Universal has set the premiere for the live-action remake for March 14, 2025. Production on the film is set to begin sometime this summer.

How to Train Your Dragon follows Hiccup — an unheroic Viking child who befriends an injured dragon. Astrid, on the other hand, is someone who despises the creatures, but slowly grows to love them thanks to her relationship with Hiccup and exposure to the dragons. In the animated films, Hiccup and Astrid were voiced by Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera.

What is How to Train Your Dragon about?

The How to Train Your Dragon franchise is based on Cressida Cowell’s children’s book series of the same name. Cowell’s original story centered around Hiccup, a young aspiring inventor who wants to make his Viking father proud by becoming a dragon slayer. Things don’t go as planned when Hiccup finds himself unexpectedly forming a bond with a Night Fury dragon.

Following the success of the 2010 film, it was followed by two more sequels which all received critical acclaim in multiple Oscar nominations including Best Animated Feature. The animated films featured the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington, and more. The franchise is a box office success, with a combined worldwide gross of over $1.6 billion.

Following its massive success as an animated trilogy, the How to Train Your Dragon franchise has become one of the most popular in the world. Alongside the films, various short films, video games, and even theme park attractions have been built following the trilogy’s start in 2010.