The live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie is poised to be one of the biggest summer blockbusters of 2025. Helmed by Dean DeBlois (who directed the original animated movie) and starring Gerard Butler, the remake has a pretty stacked team behind it.
Of course, the original How To Train Your Dragon movie was an outstanding work of animated family fantasy. Brilliantly adapting the beloved novels by Cressida Cowell, the DreamWorks picture spawned an entire franchise, with three movies releasing between 2010 and 2019.
In many ways it always seemed an inevitable outcome that a live-action version would be made. That's just how Hollywood works; look no further than the sheer number of live-action remakes Disney has made of its classic movies. One thing the live-action How To Train Your Dragon has on its side, however, is original director Dean DeBlois, who's as keen as anyone to see how the story fares in its new format. You can watch him and the cast sing its praises in the video below, and then we'll cover the highlights.
"I decided to revisit How to Train Your Dragon because I want you to feel the thrill of flying on top of a dragon, but also the fear that you could fall." DeBlois said. "Dragon fire is hot. Enemy dragons mean near death situations. I want the thrill to deliver that level of immersion and excitement. And it meant we had to build the island of Berk."
""It's one thing to sit there and draw or paint or even create in a computer, but to be able to build it, and with the attention to craftsmanship and the love that goes into every detail. Having the opportunity to do this kind of worldbuilding and to revisit characters but with a fresh spin is super exciting to me because I know where the heart of this story is. It's a wonder to be a part of and I am thrilled.""
Like any great fantasy work, the process of building the village of Berk for live-action was an enormous undertaking. We're talking gigantic sets, gorgeous costumes, and so on. "I am here in this world with all that energy, and I love that, experiencing those sets that then are dressed and are lit and have torches on fire in the great hall," star Gerard Butler (Stoick the Vast). "People get caught up in that energy and they believe in the story. It allows the audience to get even more richly involved with Hiccup and Toothless."
In addition, star Mason Thames (who plays protagonist Hiccup) opened up about the sheer scale of filming. "The village, I think it was 15 or 20 houses. It really looks alive with Vikings running around and chaos," he said. "Everything was made with such love and it's such a heartfelt story, especially on the big screen on the live action scale."
I had my doubts when a live-action movie was first announced. But as time has passed, it's clear that this movie is a real passion project and love letter to the fandom. My excitement has grown enormously. How To Train Your Dragon lands in theaters June 13, 2025.