Toothless and the famous band of misfit Vikings are set to return to the big screen again. Universal Pictures is adapting the acclaimed animated film series How to Train Your Dragon as a live-action movie.
Dean DeBlois, who wrote and directed the animated trilogy, has been given the charge of writing, producing and directing the live-action adaptation. It would mark DeBlois’ debut in live-action film-making.
Marc Platt will be producing the film through his Universal-based Marc Platt Productions with Adam Siegel, who is the president of Marc Platt Productions.
The studio has set 14 March 2025 as the release date. Reports say that the casting process is underway.
More about ‘How to Train Your Dragon’
The adventures of Hiccup and Toothless
How to Train Your Dragon is based on the eponymous series of children’s books by British author Cressida Cowell. It is set in a mythical, mediaeval world populated by dragons and Vikings.
The story follows a misfit Viking teen named Hiccup, who comes upon an injured dragon near his village. Instead of killing it, as the other Vikings do, Hiccup befriends the dragon and gives it the name Toothless.
The two go on an epic adventure in which they must convince other Vikings that dragons are not to be feared.
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Animated films received critical and commercial acclaim
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) was the first of the three animated films, which was made by DreamWorks Animation. It was followed by How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019).
All three films received critical and commercial acclaim, and were nominated for Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The trilogy grossed over USD 1.6 billion at the worldwide box office.
Jay Baruchel voiced Hiccup and America Ferrera voiced Astrid, another main character, in the animated trilogy. Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig were also among the main cast in the original film.
The highly successful franchise has spawned three animated TV series – DreamWorks Dragons (2012-2018), DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019-2022) and DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021-2022) – and short films that were aired on Cartoon Network, Netflix and Hulu.
The story has also been adapted for comic books, theme park attractions and How to Train Your Dragon on Ice, a live ice show on Royal Caribbean Cruises.
(Main and Featured images: IMDb)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur
