‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Live-Action Remake Confirms Return of Another Franchise Favorite Alongside Gerard Butler

The upcoming live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon is bringing back another actor from the original animated movies. Universal announced the sequel to the live-action film at CinemaCon in April 2025, just before the first live-action How to Train Your Dragon hit theaters. The new film, which is also a remake of the animated sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2, is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2027.

Cate Blanchett is set to return as Valka in the upcoming live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She originally voiced the character in the 2014 animated film, where Valka was revealed to be Hiccup’s mother, who had been presumed dead and dedicated her life to rescuing dragons. Blanchett joins Gerard Butler, who is also reprising his role as Stoic from the animated How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, as a returning cast member for the live-action adaptation.

How Will ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Compare to the Original?


Universal Pictures

Cate Blanchett is a highly acclaimed actress with eight Academy Award nominations and two wins, for her roles in The Aviator and Blue Jasmine. She’s known for many popular films, including Tár, Thor: Ragnarok, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Carol, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Her recent work includes starring in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag and Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother. She joins a cast including Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn. The sequel is directed by Dean DeBlois, who also directed the live-action How to Train Your Dragon and the first animated How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Released in theaters on June 13, 2014, How to Train Your Dragon 2 received widespread praise, with some critics considering it superior to the original. The film earned $622 million globally and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film. It also won the Golden Globe and Annie Award for Best Animated Feature.

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The live-action How to Train Your Dragon film premiered in theaters on June 13, 2025, fifteen years after the animated original. It earned $262 million in the United States, placing it among the top ten highest-grossing movies of the year. Globally, the film made $636 million, ranking eighth at the worldwide box office for 2025. Universal Pictures is pleased with the film’s success and is expected to begin work on a live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World to complete the trilogy.

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2026-01-15 23:47