A Live-Action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Is Coming

How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Movie

For fans of the How to Train Your Dragon movie franchise, there’s good news! Yet another film is on the horizon, and this one will be a live-action How to Train Your Dragon flick.

Variety reports that writer and director Dean DeBlois has authored a new script. And this news is coming after DeBlois had insisted that the animated movies would wrap up after the third film.

How to Train Your Dragon Movie Franchise
Photo Credit: Dreamworks Animation

The History of the Franchise

The original movie, How to Train Your Dragon, first introduced us to Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), a misfit teenager who studies at a dragon-fighting school. His ultimate goal? To prove he’s a true Viking. The 2010 film was a massive success at the box office. With a budget of just $165 million, the animated film made over $494 million worldwide. 

Next was 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2, which was an even larger success. With a budget of $145 million, the movie grossed more than $621 million worldwide. The film’s financial success paved the way for 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. However, in 2017, DeBlois insisted that The Hidden World would be the last in the franchise, as he and his writers were confident that their ending drew the story to a close.

At the time, DeBlois said, “We thought about it for a long time and came up with what we think is a bittersweet way to say goodbye to these characters, but the right way. You will understand why Hiccup says, as you heard in the trailer, ‘There were dragons when I was a boy.’ And by the end of this film, you’ll have answered the question [of] what could have happened to them.”

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Photo Credit: Dreamworks Animation

The Delay of the How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Fans had been waiting for the third movie to drop since 2016, as the studio originally announced a 2017 release date before pushing it back to 2018 and then, once again, pushing it back to 2019.

So what was the big issue with the delays? The studio got a little too ambitious with its scheduling. DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg conceded that their three-films-a-year plan was “very ambitious”.

The third installment in the franchise saw F. Murray Abraham play villain Grimmel alongside returning cast members Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, America Ferrara, and Kit Harington. And with a budget of $129 million, the smallest budget of any of the three films, the movie grossed more than $524 million globally.

The Origins of It All

The story, as well as the upcoming live-action movie, are based on the series of books of the same name by Cressida Cowell. The first book was published in 2003, and the 12th, and last book, was published in 2015.

How to Train Your Dragon Cast
Photo Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency

The Live-Action How to Train Your Dragon

The upcoming live-action take on the story will follow a young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons and how he unexpectedly friends a young dragon. Marc Platt and Adam Siegel are set to produce under Platt’s production company, Marc Platt Productions.

And, there is even more good news for fans! The release date for the How to Train Your Dragon live-action movie has already been announced. It’s expected to premiere in theaters on March 14, 2025.

We’ll keep you posted as more details surface on the project.

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