How to Train Your Dragon live-action adventure will hit cinemas on June 13, 2025. (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
Fifteen years after the release of How to Train Your Dragon, the beloved animated film is making a comeback as a live-action adventure. The original movie, which featured the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Wiig, will return to the big screen in a fresh new form.
A teaser trailer, released on Nov. 19, offers a glimpse of the story's new direction. Gerard Butler reprises his role as Stoick the Vast, a powerful Viking chief, seen encouraging his hesitant son Hiccup to embrace his destiny. "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you," Stoick tells Hiccup, who nervously replies, "Dad, I can’t kill dragons."
Hiccup, played by Mason Thames, soon encounters a wounded dragon and faces a life-changing choice. Instead of killing the creature, the two form an unlikely bond. “It’s OK,” Hiccup assures the dragon gently. “I won’t hurt you.”
The original 2010 animated film, based on Cressida Cowell’s book series, launched a franchise that included two sequels, several TV spin-offs, and numerous short films. Now, the live-action adaptation seeks to recapture the magic for a new generation while bringing back familiar faces like Butler.
However, filming the live-action version wasn’t without its challenges. Butler described the harsh conditions of shooting in Northern Ireland during the winter. "It was very cold and kind of miserable," he told Collider, recalling how production started in late December and stretched into January. To cope, Butler took ice baths each morning in his hotel, which had a chilly glass-fronted bathroom.
On set, though, he had the opposite problem—overheating in his layered Viking costume. "I had seven thick layers, a full beard, and a bearskin or wolfskin cloak on top," Butler shared. "It was so heavy, and on the coldest days, I was sweating like crazy inside—it felt like a furnace."
How to Train Your Dragon is set to take flight in theaters on June 13, 2025. Fans of the franchise can look forward to a reimagined take on this timeless tale of bravery, friendship, and self-discovery.
