As we first reported on Toonado.com, Universal Pictures has released six new character posters for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie. While the movie's leads are featured, the spotlight is put squarely on the remake's main dragons.
Those are the Night Fury, Deadly Nadder, Monstrous Nightmare, Hideous Zippleback, Gruesome Gronckle, and Terrible Terror.
The approach to bringing these beloved fantasy creatures to life is certainly unique; while they're photorealistic, they've also kept the same cartoonish designs we first saw on screen a decade and a half ago. Had they all been given the House of the Dragon treatment, it just wouldn't have felt right (particularly in the case of Toothless).
We've heard a lot about How to Train Your Dragon essentially being a shot-for-shot remake of the DreamWorks Animation movie released in 2010. Talking about that earlier this year, Dean DeBlois - who directed both versions - addressed the complaints head-on.
Sharing his confidence that the live-action reboot has "been slowly winning people over," he added, "There are always going to be people who are like 'I'm going to boycott this!' Well, they can watch the animated movie."
"We are making it with a lot of love and a lot of respect for what the animated movies are, not to replace the animated ones," DeBlois continued. "There's room to expand it and enrich it. We can enrich some of those relationships in the way that live actors can do when you put a camera on them."
Like 2019's The Lion King, we don't expect How to Train Your Dragon to veer too far from its animated predecessor. However, various characters and subplots are expected to receive more screentime, including Astrid (Nico Parker).
Check out the new posers for How to Train Your Dragon in the Instagram posts below.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone) 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 (Nico Parker; The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; 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.
How to Train Your Dragon also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).
How to Train Your Dragon is written, produced and directed by Dean DeBlois, and arrives in theaters on June 13.