UNIVERSAL Studios has released the first trailer for its live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon.
Based on the book series by Cressida Cowell, the movies follow Hiccup, a young viking who stumbles upon a trapped, injured dragon which he befriends, trains and eventually names Toothless.
The live action film will follow the same storyline as the first animation which was set on the Isle of Berk.
In the books, the fictional Scandinavian Island is described as, “extremely cold, and above all, wet” which is compounded during the opening of the first film when Hiccup says, “This is Berk. 12 days north of Hopeless, and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death.”
Therefore it should come as no surprise that Belfast will double as Berk in the new fire breathing viking flick.
It was revealed last year that the feature would be filmed between Belfast and Los Angeles, with preparations for filming at Belfast’s Titanic Studio beginning in July 2023.
More: Film review: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World a fitting series swansong
However, due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes production was put on hold until January 2024. The delays have pushed back the release of the film from March 2024 to June 2025.
Dean DeBlois, who wrote and directed the three animated How to Train Your Dragon movies, is taking up the reins once again for the live-action film as is Hollywood actor Gerard Butler who will be returning to his role as Hiccup’s father Stoick the Vast.
New editions to the cast include Mason Thames (The Black Phone) as Hiccup, Nico Parker (Dumbo, The Last of Us) as Astrid, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as Gobber, Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2) as Fishlegs, Gabriel Howell (Nightsleeper) as Snotlout, Bronwyn James (Masters of the Air) as Ruffnut and Harry Trevaldwyn (Ten Percent) as Tuffnut.
The trailer opens with impressive shots of Dunseverick Castle situated in Co Antrim before introducing Hiccup, Stoick and Toothless - who look exactly like their animated counterparts. It shows Hiccup being instructed to go out and kill a dragon, but instead he begin to form a bond with Toothless.
The DreamWorks animations included the original How to Train Your Dragon from 2010, How to Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019.
The franchise also boasts three TV series, theme park rides, and a live show, How to Train Your Dragon on Ice. Overall, the series has generated more than $1.6 billion worldwide.
The live action remake latest in a long line of fantasy films to be shot in the north with other major productions including Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves; its locations included Glenarm Castle in Co Antrim, The Dún Briste Sea Stack in Co Mayo and the Causeway Coast.
Similarly, Game of Thrones is another dragon-themed drama that filmed all over Northern Ireland over the course of its eight seasons. Cushendun Caves, Murlough Bay, Ballintoy Harbour, Castle Ward, Downhill Strand, the Antrim plateau, Tollymore Forest Park outside Newcastle and, of course, the Dark Hedges at Gracehill are among the locations it made famous.
How to Train Your Dragon is set to hit screens on June 13 2025.