‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Movie: The Cast, Release Date & More You Need To Know

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Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for HCA/JM HAEDRICH/SIPA/Shutterstock

How To Train Your Dragon is an animated franchise from DreamWorks.
A live-action film from Universal will be released in 2025.
Mason Thames and Nico Parker have been cast.

More friendly fire-breathing is coming to the big screen in live-action form. Universal is producing a live-action adaption of DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon that rides into theaters in 2025. The upcoming film, starring two young rising actors, will explore the human-dragon dynamic that’s made the franchise such a success across three feature films, several TV shows, and more. Here is everything you need to know about the How To Train Your Dragon live-action film.

How To Train Your Dragon (Photo: DreamWorks SKG/Everett Collection)

Release Date

The live-action movie will be released March 14, 2025. The release date, which is always subject to change, was confirmed in February 2023. Filming is set to begin in the summer of 2023 in Los Angeles, according to Deadline. Universal is also releasing the second Wicked movie in 2025.

Cast & Crew

Cast

Mason Thames (Photo: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for HCA)

Mason Thames, 15 and Nico Parker, 18, have been cast in the live-action How To Train Your Dragon. Mason is playing Hiccup, the young Viking boy who finds courage when he forms a close bond with the dragon Toothless. Nico is playing Astrid, the Viking warrior who has an initial disdain towards dragons, but that changes when she bonds with Hiccup. Mason and Nico’s casting was announced on May 30, 2023.

Mason and Nico are both rising stars in Hollywood right now. Mason had his breakout role in the 2022 horror film The Black Phone alongside Ethan Hawke. He previously had a recurring role in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind.

Nico Parker (Photo: JM HAEDRICH/SIPA/Shutterstock)

Nico, meanwhile, made her film debut in Tim Burton‘s 2019 feature Dumbo. She received praise for her guest performance as Pedro Pascal‘s on-screen daughter in HBO’s The Last Of Us. Nico is the daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton and director/producer Ol Parker.

Crew

Dean DeBlois is set to write and direct the live-action film. Dean directed the How To Train Your Dragon animated trilogy for DreamWorks. John Powell, who composed the score for the animated movies, is returning to work on the live-action movie. The film will be produced by Marc Platt Productions and will be distributed by Universal Pictures.

The How To Train Your Dragon Franchise

The How To Train Your Dragon franchise is actually based on a series of children’s books by British author Cressida Cowell. The film franchise began with 2010’s How To Train Your Dragon, which was followed by sequels in 2014 and 2019. The voice cast for the animated trilogy included Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), Craig Ferguson (Gobber), America Ferrara (Astrid), Jonah Hill (Snotlout), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs) Kristen Wiig (Ruffnut), David Tennant (Spitelout), Cate Blanchett (Valka), and Kit Harington (Eret). The three films earned over $1.6 billion worldwide total and were all nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

How To Train Your Dragon (Photo: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection)

In addition to the three feature films, there’s also been five short films from the animated franchise. DreamWorks also produced three animated HTTYD TV shows: DreamWorks Dragons, DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders, and DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms. The franchise has also spawned video games, theme parks, and an arena show.

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