How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Star Says ‘It’s Very Much Its Own Thing’

Nico Parker, who will star as Astrid Hofferson in the upcoming live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, has revealed how close to the beloved animated outing the remake will be. Speaking with Collider, Parker described the How to Train Your Dragon remake as “its own thing,” and revealed that all the cast will be playing “their own version” of the characters.

“I think it’s very much its own thing, but I’d like to think so much of that magic is also prevalent in this one. But I think it’s its own film, and it’s its own interpretation and everyone has their own version of a character. It’s important not to get too wrapped up, especially because the animated ones are so brilliant. It’s like, let’s not try and just do a play by play of that. And if anyone wants that, they can watch the animated ones. I think it’ll be wonderful, and if it isn’t, I’m having a wonderful time making it anyway. I’ll think it’s wonderful, no matter what.”

Disney is not the only one who wants to bring their animated classics back to the big screen in new versions. DreamWorks is preparing to take the same path with How to Train Your Dragon, one of its most successful animated franchises that will turn its story into live-action. Following months of rumors regarding a remake of the film based on Cressida Cowell’s book series, The Hollywood Reporter finally confirmed that The Black Phone‘s Mason Thames and The Last of Us‘ Nico Parker have been cast as Hiccup and Astrid, the young protagonists of the story that will be directed by Dean DeBlois.

In addition to being a part of the horror film starring Ethan Hawke, Thames appeared on the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series For All Mankind and recently joined the Walker Texas Ranger reboot starring Supernatural‘s Jared Padalecki. Parker, for her part, played Sarah the daughter of Joel (Pedro Pascal) in the successful adaptation of The Last of Us for HBO, and before that she was part of the live-action version of Dumbo for Disney, among other small roles.

In addition to the casting of Mason Thames and Nico Parker, it was recently revealed that Gerard Butler will reprise his role as Stoick the Vast, the chieftain of Berk and Hiccup’s father, in the remake.

Related: How to Train Your Dragon Can Avoid the Live-Action Disney Curse

The How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy Is Considered an Animated Classic

Released in 2010, the first How to Train Your Dragon follows Hiccup, a teenage Viking son of his people’s leader, who feels great pressure to become a good example for his people like his father and a good dragon hunter, since the creatures have been enemies of his community for years. However, he unexpectedly has an encounter with a friendly dragon whom he calls Toothless, with whom he develops a beautiful relationship and ends up training him to become his faithful companion, which will put an end to the war between Vikings and dragons to unite them in peace.

In the second movie, 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2, Hiccup and Toothless find a cave infested with dragons that leads to a hidden world where the young man finds his mother, who had been missing for years. Together they will learn much more about dragons and the bond that unites them. Finally, in the third outing, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Hiccup has to face other Vikings who don’t seem to be ready to share a peaceful life with dragons among them. In the original version, the cast is led by Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett and America Ferrera, among other big names.

Cowell’s saga has a total of 12 books, so there’s a lot of source material and room for the franchise to expand when the books are transformed into live-action.