Cate Blanchett Returns To Berk in Live-Action HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
The world of Berk is calling once again, and Cate Blanchett is answering. The two-time Oscar winner is officially set to star in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2, reprising her role as Valka, the fierce and emotional character she originally brought to life in the animated trilogy.
For fans of the franchise, this is some seriously cool casting news. The How to Train Your Dragon saga centers on Hiccup, a scrawny misfit Viking teen who completely flips his world upside down after befriending an injured dragon he names Toothless.
Their friendship challenges generations of hatred between Vikings and dragons and ends up changing Berk forever. The second chapter jumps ahead five years, with Hiccup now 20 years old and facing a much bigger world. That journey leads him straight to Valka, his long-lost mother, just as a dangerous madman emerges with plans to conquer everything using a dragon army.
Blanchett’s return as Valka in live action is the perfect bridge between the animated films and this new era of the franchise. She joins a cast that includes Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn.
The sequel is once again being written and directed by Dean DeBlois, the creative force who guided the animated trilogy. His work on 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 and 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World helped push the franchise to a massive $1.6 billion worldwide.
He also directed the 2025 live-action remake, which pulled in $646 million globally and landed as the fourth-largest Hollywood release of the year. Universal and DreamWorks clearly like what he’s doing, and it shows.
Universal and DreamWorks have locked in a June 11, 2027 theatrical release for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2. The film is set to soar into theaters just one week after Sony’s animated Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, making early summer 2027 a pretty exciting time at the box office.
Seeing Blanchett step back into Valka’s armor in live action is a big win for the franchise. It adds a little extra magic to a story that already means a lot to fans.