HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Star States Live-Action Adaptation Will Feel "A Lot More Scary" Than Animated Version
Now that we have seen the trailer and some behind the scenes footage from the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, fans are getting excited for what this version has to offer.
It looks like the creators have brought the Viking world of dragons to life in such a breathtaking way, but franchise star Gerard Butler says the new movie will also feel “a lot more scary” and dark than the animated versions of the story.
Butler explained in an interview with The Direct that this movie is scarier due to its "immersive" nature, while also praising the film as "so amazing and powerful."
Butler previously voiced Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast, in the first three films, and now, he'll be bringing the same character to life in live-action. He extensively praised the film, saying:
“I just saw a rough cut. So there really were maybe 20% special effects done. And I get goosebumps when I think about it. It was so amazing and so powerful. And then you see parts of it where they are closer to being done, and your jaw just drops.
“And the best way for me to describe it is, I made three of those movies over many years, and I always wondered, I love the animated movies, but I always wondered, 'God, what if this was real? What if we were really there, real people, real dragons?' And we had a chance to do that, to make it real. And I think that is one of the main differences.
“When a dragon is breathing fire over a bunch of actual Viking men and women running, it feels a lot more scary than when it was animated. You have a little more you can distance yourself, but this feels much more involved and just immersive...
“I'm so excited to see how it is when it's finished because I think every second is going to be precious.”
I think Butler is as big a fan of the franchise as the rest of us, and it looks like this movie is going to be a great new version of the stories originated in the books by author Cressida Cowell.
The film stars Mason Thames (The Black Phone) as the young Viking Hiccup, Nico Parker (The Last of Us) as Astrid, Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast, the leader of the Viking clan and Hiccup’s father, and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) as Viking named Gobber the Belch, the trusted friend and adviser of Stoick.
The movie comes from director Dean DeBlois, who helmed all three animated films along with co-director Chris Sanders on the first film.
How to Train Your Dragon is set to be released on June 13th, 2025.