Credit: DreamWorks Animation, Paramount PicturesHow to Train Your Dragon (2010) fans, buckle up!
For better or worse, Disney has really held the market on live-action remakes for the past few years. The entertainment giant has been remaking classics like Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), and more in an effort to maintain copyright and revitalize franchises, but they’re not going to be the only ones for long, and now it seems like one film is even closer!
Dreamworks has often been a hit or miss when it comes to animation, but when it’s a hit, it’s a big hit. One only needs to look at Shrek (2001) to see the evidence of that. Since the success of that first film, many more offerings from the Shrek franchise have hit the shelves and streaming platforms, but that’s certainly not the only successful Dreamworks franchise.
One of the other most popular Dreamworks animated franchises has been the How to Train Your Dragon series. It’s definitely one that no one saw coming: Vikings, some with Scottish accents, fighting against and then training dragons. However, the charming story, coupled with a cast that went all in, giving fantastic performances, made it endearing and a cherished entry into Dreamworks Animation.
Of each of their animated entries, How to Train Your Dragon would make the most sense for a live-action adaptation: it’s an original story, it wouldn’t need a fully animated lead like Shrek would, and it’s been 13 years since the release of the first film, making the time for a comeback just about right.
Now, if this new report is to be believed, the film is one step close to release! The Direct recently reported on some insider information that suggests that at least three leads for the movie have just been cast. These include Jack Dylan Grazer of Shazam! (2019) fame as Hiccup, Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana as Astrid, and Joel Edgerton, who played Owen Lars in Obi-Wan Kenobi as Stoick the Vast.
While not confirmed, each of these casting choices would be fantastic for a live-action adaptation. Each has, in the past few years, proved their skill: Grazer as Freddy Freeman in the Shazam! franchise, as well as Eddie Kaspbrak in It (2017), Cravalho as the heroine of Moana (2016), and Edgerton, who added much-needed new depth to Owen Lars in Star Wars.
Related: Universal’s New ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Land Details Revealed
The Direct also points out that, while again, not confirmed, if these casting choices are accurate, it could very well point to production for the film being closer than anticipated, meaning a closer-than-anticipated release date of either late 2024 or 2025. At this point, it’s too early to say, but with Disney’s animation flagging and superhero fatigue setting in with both Marvel and DC, the timing could be right for something like this to be very successful!
What do you think about this potential casting? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!