It’s official, Gerard Butler will once again be Harold’s father in “Dragons” but this time in live-action!
A familiar face appears in the live-action adaptation of the DreamWorks Animation franchise, Dragons. Indeed, according to Deadline, Gerard Butler, who lent his voice to Stoick, known as “the brute”, Harold’s father, in the original films in VO, will reprise the role in live-action this time. But he is not the only one to make his return: the director of the animated franchise Dean DeBlois will sign his first live-action film. The screenplay will also be written by him, based on the books by Cressida Cowell.
To play Harold and Astrid, however, young Mason Thames (For All Mankind, Black Phone) and Nico Parker (The Last Of Us, Dumbo) were chosen. The studio opted for new faces here since the actors who had previously lent their voices to the characters in English, Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera, are now much older than the latter.
But for Gerard Butler, the opportunity was too good not to see him in the flesh in the skin of Stoik, the Viking chief who is also a single father who is trying as best he can to raise his son alone. Known for his action-packed roles like in the White House Down franchise and 300, his role in Dragons (since 2010) has always been a fan favorite: this is the opportunity to pay real homage to the character and the original cast.
Dreamworks Animation
Gerard Butler remains one of Hollywood’s busiest stars. In 2023, we could find him in the thrillers Mayday and Kandahar.
As a reminder, the saga Dragons takes place in the world of the Vikings and follows the adventures of young Hiccup who becomes friends with an injured dragon named Toothless. Since their debut in 2010, the duo has become iconic and their story has captivated fans through three films that have grossed more than $1.6 billion.
The live-action adaptation of Dragons is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2025 in France.