Following Walt Disney Studios having a ton of luck with reimagining its animated classics for live action, Universal is taking a page out of the playbook and remaking How To Train Your Dragon. Following the announcement of the live-action movie early this year, and Hiccup and Astrid being cast by two young actors, we asked America Ferrera what she thinks about her formative voice role getting a new film.
The question was asked to the voice actress behind Astrid, a Viking warrior and the eventual wife to Hiccup, when CinemaBlend’s own Hannah Saulic sat down with America Ferrera during the Barbie Los Angeles press day. Check out her reaction (also seen in the video above):
I love who they cast, I think it’s fantastic. Dean [DeBlois] and I have been texting back and forth and he’s sending me little snippets of what’s going on. I’m so excited for the live-action version… I can’t wait for it to get the live-action treatment, and also I think Dean is one of the most incredibly talented storytellers I’ve ever gotten to work with, so I’m so excited to see what he does with it.
The live-action How To Train Your Dragon movie is set to be helmed by Dean DeBlois, who wrote and directed the original animated trilogy for Dreamworks. The original movie came out back in 2010, with a 2014 sequel following and a 2019 trilogy closer capping the series off. The entire franchise earned $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office.
Back in May, it was announced that The Black Phone actor Mason Thames has been cast as Hiccup, and The Last of Us’ Nico Parker, who is also daughter to Thandiwe Newton, will take up the role of Astrid. Both actors have shown their great talent in their early work, and America Ferrera can’t wait to see what they do with the roles.
And as Ferrera also told us, she’s already in contact with Dean DeBlois as the live-action How To Train Your Dragon goes into production. We do have to wonder if America Ferrera will get to visit the set, and perhaps alongside Hiccup voice actor Jay Baruchel, get a cameo or something of the sort in the movie as well. The How To Train Your Dragon movie currently has a release date for March 14, 2025.
America Ferrera’s comments come as she stars among the Barbie cast in the upcoming summer blockbuster. The actress plays the role of Gloria, a Mattel employee who helps Margot Robbie’s Barbie as she navigates the real world. Ahead of Barbie’s release in theaters on July 21, the movie has earned some exciting first reactions, with Hannah Saulic calling it a “profoundly moving” experience.