Gerard Butler Returning for Live-Action 'How to Train Your Dragon' Movie
Butler will be reprising his role as Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast.
Gerard Butler is continuing his How to Train Your Dragon journey. The Scottish actor voiced Stoick the Vast in all three How to Train Your Dragon films from DreamWorks Animation. Almost a year ago, it was announced that a live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie was in the works from Universal Pictures. The original film, based on the books by Cressida Cowell, centered on the friendship between unheroic Viking boy Hiccup and Toothless, a dragon he rescued after it was injured. With Stoick being Hiccup's father, it was only just a matter of time before he was brought on.
Deadline confirms that Butler will reprise his role as Stoick, only in live-action form this time around. The idea of having the actor return as the single father and Viking chief was "too good to pass up." Hiccup and Astrid, meanwhile, will be portrayed by Mason Thames and Nico Parker, as the original voice actors are now too old to play kids. It's likely more casting news will come in the following months, as the film is set to release on June 13, 2025.
Butler has been a busy man as of late. The London Has Fallen star was most recently seen in 2023's Plane and Kandahar. This year, he will be in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and Ark: The Animated Series. He has an additional 10 projects either in production, in development, or releasing next year. It's always exciting when live-action adaptations include the voice actor in the live-action version of their role, so seeing Butler portray Stoick the Vast and not in animated form is going to be something to look forward to.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was the third and final installment in the trilogy and released in 2019. Although it's been close to five years since the movie released, the interest in the story as a whole still has a whole lot of interest, especially since there is a Dragons series now. Live-action remakes can be a bit tricky, especially for a film so beloved as How to Train Your Dragon. Luckily, with director and writer Dean DeBlois writing, directing, and producing the new film, it is in very good hands.
If anyone can play a live-action Stoick, it would definitely be Gerard Butler. Be sure to watch the live-action How to Train Your Dragon in theaters on June 13, 2025. The first movie is streaming on Peacock if you need a refresher.