Universal announces plans for live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie

A live-action adaptation of DreamWorks animation How to Train Your Dragon is in the works at Universal. Dean DeBlois, the filmmaker behind the original animated trilogy, is on board to write, produce, and direct the feature. 

Based on Cressida Cowell's book series, the films released across the 2010s and centered on Hiccup, an awkward young Viking who nurses injured dragon Toothless, who just so happens to be a feared Night Fury, back to health. Subsequently, he forms an unbreakable bond with the creature, and stands up against his village's tradition of slaying the winged beasts. 

All three installments boast a star-studded voice cast, with Jay Baruchel bringing Hiccup to life, Gerard Butler playing his strict chieftain father Stoick, and America Ferrera voicing Hiccup's love interest Astrid. Craig Ferguson, Ashley Jensen, Jonah Hill, T. J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant, and Cate Blanchett also feature. According to The Hollywood Reporter, casting for the live-action flick is already underway.

It's hardly surprising that Universal wants to build out the DreamWorks franchise considering the animated trilogy's success, and how well the likes of Disney do when reimagining its cartoon classics on the big screen. Collectively How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World made $1.6 billion at the box office, and all three earned Academy Award nominations for best animated film in their respective years of release. So it's safe to say, they're a hit.

While production on the new How to Train Your Dragon movie has yet to start, Universal has carved out March 15, 2025 as its official release date. In the meantime, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way throughout 2023 and beyond.