'How to Train Your Dragon' Live-Action Casts Hiccup and Astrid
As the already highly anticipated live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon takes shape, we can start getting hyped up with some exciting news: Universal has chosen the two lead actors who are set to play Hiccup and Astrid. The Black Phone's Mason Thames and The Last of Us breakout star Nico Parker are getting their Viking helmets ready to embark on the dragon-filled adventure.
Parker’s name became prominent after she played Pedro Pascal’s daughter Sarah Miller in the debut episode and then again in Episode 6, titled “Kin” – which was widely considered one of the best episodes of the series. She’s also the daughter of popular actor Thandiwe Newton (Westworld). Aside from sharing the scene in Ethan Hawke’s first movie as a villain, Thames was also in Apple TV+’s sci-fi series For All Mankind.
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Thames will have to exercise his range as an actor since he’ll spend most of the time interacting with a CGI Toothless dragon. He will also touch on some sensitive subjects if the live-action adaptation chooses to go down the same path as the DreamWorks animation did back when it premiered in 2010. In the story, Hiccup is the son of a mighty Viking who is reluctant to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a dragon slayer. The task becomes even more difficult when he is able to befriend a dragon that’s supposed to be the most dangerous of all creatures.
Image via HBO
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Parker, on the other hand, will get to have fun as a whip-smart dragon connoisseur who’s determined to ace her classes in dragon slaying. If the live-action adaptation sticks to its animated roots, the actor will get to be in cool action scenes since Astrid is usually the one who takes the reins when it comes to dragon taming. Since female representation has evolved in the decade since the animated movie was first released, we can also expect the new How to Train Your Dragon to not let Parker’s character be limited to the “love interest” trope, something that the animated movie had already made some effort to change.
What Is How to Train Your Dragon About?
How to Train Your Dragon is based on a novel series of the same name written by author Cressida Cowell. The animated film series was highly popular and widely acclaimed, especially for its ability to handle darker themes and up the stakes for its main characters. The film series spawned a slate of animated series, the most recent called Dragons: The Nine Realms. In the original animated movie, Hiccup and Astrid were voiced by Jay Baruchel (FUBAR) and America Ferrera (Superstore).
How to Train Your Dragon is currently slated for a March 14, 2025 release date, stay tuned at Collider for further updates and everything we know about the live-action remake.
Source: Collider
