How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Movie Casts Hiccup and Astrid – The Hollywood Reporter

Mason Tims and Nico Parker

Kevin Winter/Getty Images; Fraser Harrison/Getty Images

Universal’s live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s How to train your dragon It found its human occupants.

Mason Thames, who starred in the horror movie World black phoneand Nico Parker, an up-and-coming actress last seen on HBO’s The last of usis set to star as Hiccup and Astrid in the Dean DeBlois-directed feature.

Universal has dated the feature for a March 14, 2025 release and plans to shoot a movie this summer.

Using Cressida Cowell’s books as a starting point, How to train your dragon It focused on the special friendship between a young and unheroic Viking boy named Hiccup and Toothless, an injured dragon who was nursing him back to health. The films chronicled Hiccup and Toothless’ quest to fight humanity’s prejudice against dragons, the pain of overcoming the loss of a parent, and a first love.

Astrid’s character moves in her own arc across the trilogy, going from someone who despises dragons to bonding with one, going from tin to Hiccup to becoming his confidant and eventual partner.

Jay Baruchel voiced Hiccup in the animated trilogy while Astrid was voiced by America Ferrera.

The search for live-action counterparts took months with the story looking for actors who could evolve in roles as much as the characters themselves have grown to maturity in the film franchise. The franchise was unique in that each sequel made age leaps for the protagonists to highlight life events and make it a true “coming of age” story.

DeBlois is writing and directing the project. Three-time Academy Award nominee Marc Platt produces and Adam Segel via Marc Platt Productions.

Vice President of Production Development Lexi Barta will oversee the film on Universal’s behalf.

The fifteen-year-old Thames appeared in three episodes of the acclaimed Apple TV drama, for all mankindbefore taking over Black phoneScott Derrickson’s adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story produced by Bloomhouse and released by Universal 2022. The film proved to be a hit at the box office and commercially, putting Thames on the radar for other teen roles.

The actor now has two films in the box, a coming-of-age party comedy, incomingadventure and excitement summer boys With Mel Gibson. It is represented by WME and Brillstein Entertainment.

Parker made her acting debut as the lead in Tim Burton’s live-action adaptation Dumbo Produced by Disney in 2019. She has done a stint in the HBO series the third day opposite Jude Law and Naomi Harris and appeared in the sci-fi thriller The Mind of Lisa Joy memories With Hugh Jackman. in We delayone of HBO’s biggest hits in years, played the lone survivor daughter of a would-be werewolf played by Pedro Pascal.

actress, who will next appear opposite Woody Harrelson and Laura Linney in Laura Chinn’s sun coast, It is represented by WME and Curtis Brown.