For a decade, writer/director Dean DeBlois expressed his vision for the How To Train Your Dragon movies in collaboration with the talented filmmakers at DreamWorks Animation. Five years after the final movie’s emotional ending, DeBlois has been back in the fictional Isle Of Berk, but this time in a much more physical sense. After nearly 90-days on the set of the live-action How To Train Your Dragon remake, DeBlois has shared that the shoot is over.
We’re one step closer to seeing a real boy play Hiccup and a photorealistic Toothless! Check out Dean DeBlois’ sweet Instagram post below:
The filmmaker treated fans to a tease of the live-action dragon movie by sharing a shot of the Book Of Dragons, which serves characters as an encyclopedia of all the dragon species found by the Vikings of Berk in the movie series. Tons of maps and drawings frame the book along with lit candles.
Alongside the photo, Dean DeBlois shared that principal photography for the How To Train Your Dragon movie has wrapped. It has been shooting in Belfast, Northern Ireland for nearly three months. DeBlois called the production “intense” and “exciting” and took some time to thank the cast and crew for their hard work.
The live-action How To Train Dragon cast is stacked, between Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick the Vast and The Black Phone’s Mason Thames starring as Hiccup after Jay Baruchel originated the role. Speaking of Thames, the 16-year-old actor commented on DeBlois’ post, writing,
Thank you! It is SUCH AN HONOR to be HICCUP! We Love you Dean!
Alongside Thames, The Last Of Us’ Nico Parker is set to play Astrid after America Ferrera previously voiced the animated version. The incomparable Nick Frost is also set to play Gobber. He wrote this on the social media post,
I loved being Gobber so much! Thank you! 😍
Dean DeBlois marked the beginning of the How To Train Your Dragon shoot back in January, but he has yet to show fans any real first looks at the cast or production design. It will, of course, be a treat to see the original writer and director of the animated franchise put his mark on the live-action version (because that’s a rather rare thing to see). I can’t wait to see his vision for Vikings and dragons this time around.
The How To Train Your Dragon remake is currently expected to be released a little over a year from now on June 13, 2025. It will be a part of a stacked release schedule that will also include the John Wick spinoff Ballerina (which is coming out a week before), and Walt Disney’s Elio on the same weekend. 28 Years Later and M3GAN 2.0 follow.
While we wait to see Toothless in live action, you can revisit the original movie right now with an Amazon Prime subscription.