Live-Action ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Race Swaps Astrid With Thandiwe Newton’s Daughter Nico Parker
Written by on June 3, 2023
Universal has reportedly found its actors for the lead human dragon riders Hiccup and Astrid in their upcoming live-action adaption of Dreamworks animation’s beloved How to Train Your Dragon franchise.
Zack Pearlman as Snotlout, Andree Vermeulen as Ruffnut, Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, T.J. Miller as Tuffnut, and America Ferrera as Astrid in Dragons: Race to the Edge (2015), Netflix
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Based off of Cressida Cowell’s best selling books, How to Train Your Dragon follows the friendship between the young Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his Dragon Toothless. Director and writer of Dreamworks’ animated How to Train Your Dragon trilogy Dean DeBlois is returning to direct and write the live action version.
Similar to the casting process for the upcoming Harry Potter and Percy Jackson live action adaptations, The Hollywood Reporter states it has taken several months to find actors “who could grow into the roles as much as the characters themselves grew into maturity throughout the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy.”
At the start of the 2010 How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, the main cast are roughly around 15 years old with the events of the 2014 sequel How To Train Your Dragon 2 set five years after. The start of 2019’s How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World takes place one year later. By the end of The Hidden World, Hiccup and Astrid are roughly around thirty years old with a family of their own.
Toothless and Jay Baruchel as Hiccup in Dragons: Race to the Edge (2015), Dreamworks
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Unlike 15 year old The Black Phone actor Mason Thames casting for How To Train Your Dragon‘s male lead Hiccup, Universal decided to follow the ongoing Hollywood trend of race swapping the female lead Astrid’s live-action counterpart.
Originally voiced by The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress America Ferrera, Astrid Hofferson is a fearless fifteen year old blonde haired blue eyed female Viking warrior in the Hooligan tribe. Her character begins with a disdain for a dragons and Hiccup, but eventually creates a bond with her own dragon and becomes Hiccup’s friend and wife.
Nico Parker as Sarah Miller in The Last of Us (HBO), 2023
Universal unveiled Astrid’s live action counterpart will be portrayed by Solo: A Star Wars Story actress Thandiwe Newton’s 18 year old daughter Nico Parker.
Nico Parker made her debut at 14 years old as Milly Farrier in Tim Burton’s 2019 Disney live-action adaptation of Dumbo. Parker’s most recent role was in the first couple episodes of HBO’s live action adaptation of The Last of Us as Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) daughter Sarah Miller.
Universal has slated How to Train Your Dragon‘s live action adaptation to take off into theaters on March 14, 2025.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs, Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, America Ferrera as Astrid, Zack Pearlman as Snotlout, Andree Vermeulen as Ruffnut, and T.J. Miller as Tuffnut, and in Dragons: Race to the Edge (2015), Dreamworks
What do you make of this casting?
NEXT: Eddie Murphy Reportedly In Negotiations To Star As Race-Swapped Inspector Clouseau In Upcoming ‘Pink Panther’ Reboot
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