Uni’s ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Remake Takes Wing, WB Sneak Peeks ‘Minecraft’ Movie

Universal Pictures has debuted the teaser trailer for How to Train Your Dragon, the new live-action adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s New York Times bestselling book which takes its creative cues from DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster franchise. The spot highlights the tender moment when young Viking Hiccup (played by Mason Thames) befriends the skittish Night Fury dragon known as Toothless.

How to Train Your Dragon will open in theaters on June 13, 2025.

About the film:

From three-time Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Dean DeBlois, the creative visionary behind DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, comes a stunning live-action reimagining of the film that launched the beloved franchise.

On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) 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 (BAFTA nominee Nico Parker; Dumbo, The Last of Us) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Nick Frost; Snow White and the Huntsman, 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.

The film also stars Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Gabriel Howell (Bodies), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), BAFTA nominee Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones).

The live-action How to Train Your Dragon is written, produced and directed by DeBlois. It is also produced by three-time Oscar nominee Marc Platt (Wicked, La La Land) and Emmy winner Adam Siegel (Drive, 2 Guns). The pic is part of the Filmed For IMAX Program.

DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon franchise earned four Academy Award® nominations and grossed more than $1.6 billion at the global box-office.

This week has also seen the debut of a special sneak-peek from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures giving fans a glimpse into the building of A Minecraft Movie, based on the best-selling video game of all time. The film will release on April 4, 2025.

Diving into the Minecraft sandbox for this live-action adventure is director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, Ninety-Five Senses), who appears in the new behind-the-scenes featurette alongside developer Mojang’s Creative Director of Entertainment and film producer Torfi Frans Olafsson, game co-creator Jens Bergensten and several of the film’s stars.

About the film:

Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival! Four misfits — Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen; Just Mercy), Natalie (Emma Myers; Wednesday) and Dawn (Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks; The Color Purple) — find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination.

To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative … the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.

Oscar nominee Hess directs, with Roy Lee, Jon Berg, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Jason Momoa, Jill Messick, Torfi Frans Olafsson and Vu Bui producing, and Todd Hallowell, Kayleen Walters, Brian Mendoza, Jonathan Spaihts, Pete Chiappetta, Andrew Lary and Anthony Tittanegro executive producing.

The creative team also includes Oscar-winning
production designer Grant Major (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Meg), Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon (The Jungle Book, The Batman) and composer Mark Mothersbaugh (Thor: Ragnarok, The LEGO Movie franchise).

A world only you can make. #MinecraftMovie trailer tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/oEMfcKCiwi

— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) November 18, 2024