If you weren’t already aware, Universal Pictures is putting together a live-action incarnation of their beloved animated franchise, “How To Train Your Dragon.” The young cast members have been announced already as director Dean DeBlois has selected Mason Thames (“The Black Phone”) to play Hiccup and Nico Parker (“The Last of Us”) in the role of Astrid. Despite the strikes halting multiple major Hollywood productions across the globe, it does seem like a few productions planning on shooting in the United Kingdom and Europe are, at least, gearing up in the prep/pre-production stages.
There are two key crew additions to “How To Train Your Dragon” that we can now share.
The Ronin can confirm that production designer Dominic Watkins has joined the fantasy film. Some of Watkins’ credits consist of “Snow White & The Huntsman,” “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” “Kate,” “Bad Boys II,” and “The Bourne Supremacy.” Of course, “Snow White” is one of his more complex projects, hopefully, he’ll be able to tap into that dark fairytale imagery with “Dragons” and there are some expectations that the project will attempt to incorporate as many practical sets as the budget will allow. Fingers crossed for an actual Viking village being built.
We previously reported earlier in the month that cinematographer Bill Pope has been added to the crew as well with credits that include “The Matrix” trilogy, “Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings,” “Baby Driver,” “Spider-Man 2,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” “Alita: Battle Angel,” and “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania.” A fantastic director of photography who surely will add a slick visual element to the remake.
If you haven’t watched the animated films, here is the first film’s synopsis:
Hiccup is a Norse teenager from the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. His progressive views and weird sense of humor make him a misfit, despite the fact that his father (Kongkrapunt Sangsuriya) is chief of the clan. Tossed into dragon-fighting school, he endeavors to prove himself as a true Viking, but when he befriends an injured dragon he names Toothless, he has the chance to plot a new course for his people’s future.
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