A new project has been announced that involves Dean DeBlois, a renowned filmmaker who played a key role in developing the successful “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy. This upcoming project will require DeBlois to serve as the director for a live-action movie based on the beloved animated franchise.
The basis of the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, which is adapted from Cressida Cowell’s book series, is the bond between a young Viking boy named Hiccup and a dragon named Toothless. Hiccup discovered Toothless injured and nursed him back to health. The story follows their journey to overcome the bias against dragons that is prevalent among humans. As the main characters mature, the plot becomes an authentic coming-of-age tale.
Dean DeBlois, who previously worked with Disney on the live-action adaptations of Lilo & Stitch and Mulan, will be collaborating with Marc Platt, an acclaimed producer who has been nominated for three Oscars, and Adam Siegel, an Emmy-winning producer known for his work on action films like 2 Guns and Drive, to produce this movie.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, The development process of this project is currently underway, and Universal has confirmed that the release date for the movie is scheduled for March 14, 2025.
Creating a live-action version of “How to Train Your Dragon” is a significant risk for Universal as it follows in the footsteps of Disney. Disney has had considerable success producing live-action adaptations of its animated classics, including “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin,” but they have also had some critical misses, such as “Lady and the Tramp” and “Pinocchio.”
The danger in making live-action adaptations of beloved works is that it may lead to a negative impact on the characters or storylines. However, it is difficult to predict how much harm it could cause. As a result, Universal’s decision to undertake this project does not guarantee success.
It is currently uncertain if Universal will opt to create live-action versions of other DreamWorks Animation movies like Shrek or Kung Fu Panda if their upcoming “How to Train Your Dragon” adaptation is successful.
However, it is noteworthy that this project is unique because the same creator of the animated trilogy, Dean DeBlois, spearheads the live-action adaptation. Universal invested considerable effort in finding a suitable and reasonable budget for the film, taking several months before finally greenlighting the project.
The “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy followed the growing friendship between Hiccup and Toothless. The first movie portrayed how Hiccup tamed the Night Fury dragon, which led to the union of the villagers of Berk and the dragons in their skies.
In the sequel, the characters matured into young adults and went on a quest to find Hiccup’s mother, Valka. They also had to confront an evil villain with a desire for world domination. The final installment, “The Hidden World,” served as the conclusion of the series, featuring the persistent threat of Grimmel the Grisly, a dragon hunter who coveted both Toothless and the white Night Fury dragon that Toothless was drawn to.