Next year, fans will be able to experience the incredible story of How to Train Your Dragon in live-action, and one of the film's stars is confident that it's going to be a "precious" experience that'll bring thrills and some scares.
The original Dreamworks animated film first landed in 2010, and it didn't take long for it to become an instant classic. It went on to spawn three films and three shows, and the IP will even lead its own land in Universal's new theme park Epic Universe.
While many were hesitant about the beloved movie switching mediums, the first trailer dropped, and it instantly won over audiences. Toothless looks picture-perfect, and Hiccup's world is more lifelike than ever before.
How to Train Your Dragon Feels 'Much More Involved' and 'Scary' In Live Action
In an exclusive interview while speaking with The Direct's Russ Milheim about his film Den of Thieves: Pantera, How to Train Your Dragon star Gerard Butler stated that the upcoming live-action adaptation will feel "a lot more scary" than the original animated version 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.
- The Direct: "We just saw a glimpse of your character in 'How to Train Your Dragon,' and fans are excited. So, to help feed those fans, what can you tease about how that movie turned out and maybe what some of the biggest differences are with the live-action iteration compared to the animated."
Gerard Butler: 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.
The film's first trailer, which can be viewed here, has already garnered 18.4 million viewers and over 430K likes on YouTube.
Make sure to check out The Direct's full spoiler-free discussion with Gerard Butler about his new film, Den of Thieves: Pantera, which can be viewed below:
How to Train Your Dragon releases in theaters on June 13, 2025.
