Universal Pictures is betting fans of the animated How to Train Your Dragon movie franchise will get on board with a live-action film. Academy Award nominee Dean DeBlois, the writer and director of all three How to Train Your Dragon animated films, will make his live-action feature film directorial debut with this new addition to the franchise. DeBlois will also write and produce.
The announcement did not include any casting details, and Universal hasn’t confirmed if Jay Baruchel – the voice of Hiccup – will be involved in the live-action film. The franchise is based on Cressida Cowell’s bestselling books. Three-time Oscar nominee Marc Platt (La La Land, Bridge of Spies) and Emmy winner Adam Siegel (2 Guns, Drive) join DeBlois as producers.
Universal offered this description of the live-action project:
“For more than a decade, DreamWorks Animation’s epic animated film trilogy about the friendship between a young man and his dragon has moved, inspired and delighted audiences worldwide. Now, a new live-action adaptation of the blockbuster How to Train Your Dragon franchise will transport audiences for the first time into a new cinematic experience and a bold, thrilling new chapter in the beloved story of Viking Hiccup and his Night Fury dragon, Toothless.”
The studio has set a Friday, March 14, 2025 theatrical release date. (Update: On November 6, 2023, Universal moved the release to Friday, June 13, 2025.)
The original film was released in March 2010 and grossed $494 million before exiting theaters. How to Train Your Dragon 2 followed in June 2014 and surpassed its predecessor, ringing up more than $621 million during its theatrical run. The third film, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, was released in February 2019 and pulled in $524 million.
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