If a socially awkward teenage Viking befriended a catlike dragon in real life, what would that look like? Thanks to the miracle of technology, the magic of Hollywood, and a long-running franchise with nowhere else to go but a reboot, we now know the answer to that question.
The “real” version of the original How To Train Your Dragon is now in production at Universal Studios, and the first peek at it was released today. It covers the basic plots beats for the first third of the film: Hiccup belongs to a clan of dragon-hunting Vikings, but he’s questioning the common belief that dragons are their mortal enemies. His suspicions are confirmed when he touches the nose of an injured dragon he names Toothless and nothing really happens. Now Hiccup is determined to rescue Toothless and change attitudes at home, but his father, the chief, won’t allow it.
Mason Thames plays Hiccup here, and he lacks the gawky monotone voice of Jay Baruchel in the cartoon version — but that’d sound weird coming out of a real person anyway. Gerard Butler plays Viking chief Stoick The Vast, reprising the role he played in the original fourteen years ago. Unseen in this trailer are Nico Parker as Astrid, Nick Frost as Gobber and Julian Dennison as Fishlegs Ingerman.
Dean DuBois, who co-wrote and co-directed the original as well as its sequels, has returned once more to revisit the original, based on the book series by Cressida Cowell. It’s unknown at this point if the live-action HTTYD will just be the same movie or if it will contain some new twists, but this teaser suggests nothing radical will happen.
Dreamworks has produced more material related to How To Train Your Dragon than anything else they own — multiple sequels, multiple TV shows and multiple specials. A show even exists where the dragons emerge in the present day. Not even Shrek can measure up to this sheer amount of tonnage. Will this take on the tale of a Boy And His Scaly Fire-Breathing Thing revitalize the franchise, or does it end here? We’ll find out June 13, 2025.