Universal Pictures is stoking the remake flames as of Tuesday with a teaser for Dean DeBloise’s How To Train Your Dragon. The live-action remake of his co-directed DreamWorks 2010 flick based on Cressida Cowell’s kids’ novel casts Mason Thames, Nico Parker, and Gerard Butler to start with, and the teaser itself does set the mood pretty well with all the familiar traits to boot.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (BAFTA nominee Nico Parker; Dumbo, The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Snow White and the Huntsman, Shaun of the Dead) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding.
As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.
June 13 is the date. That means seven months of waiting for something exciting and cool, or something worth all the brouhaha already underway from folks who hate remakes. I’m biased when it comes to remakes as I’ll always give them a fair shake, and a lot of them don’t disappoint for me. Here’s hoping DeBloise’s film follows suit. Cue that dragon character accuracy and music outro while we’re at it!
