Dreamworks Animation has delayed the release of How To Train Your Dragon 3 until 2017, pushing it back by a whole year from its original slot.
The film had initially been scheduled to arrive on 17 June 2016, but will now make its bow on 9 June 2017, where it will be sandwiched between The LEGO Movie 2 and an as yet untitled Pixar film.
The recently released How To Train Your Dragon 2 was met with widespread critical acclaim, and performed well at the box office, although it did take $40 million less than its predecessor in the US.
Whether or not that domestic performance is at the root of the date change is unclear, although no personnel changes to the creative team have been disclosed, which would have provided a possible explanation.
At present, Dean DeBlois is still slated to write and direct the film, having long envisioned the series as a trilogy. However, should the third film perform well, don't be surprised to see a fourth outing greenlit before long…
