Cast of How to Train Your Dragon 4 (2025 Live-Action)

DreamWorks’ first live-action adaptation puts fresh faces on familiar characters — Mason Thames as Hiccup, Nico Parker as Astrid, and Gerard Butler reprising Stoick — while expanding the 2010 animated film’s emotional stakes for a 2025 theatrical release.

Lead Actor (Hiccup): Mason Thames · Astrid Hofferson: Nico Parker · Stoick the Vast: Gerard Butler · Gobber the Belch: Nick Frost · Release Year: 2025

The cast table below summarizes each character’s live-action portrayal alongside key details.

Cast of How to Train Your Dragon 4

DreamWorks Animation took a significant creative leap with this project — the 2025 live-action adaptation marks the studio’s first foray into real-world filmmaking, even as Dean DeBlois returns to the director’s chair. The franchise that began as a 2010 animated hit now features flesh-and-blood actors inhabiting the Viking village of Berk.

Main Cast Members

The film’s two central roles went to relative newcomers when casting was announced in May 2023. Mason Thames plays Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the awkward 16-year-old son of Stoick the Vast who famously fails at dragon fighting but ultimately befriends a Night Fury. Nico Parker takes on Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup’s love interest and fierce competitor in dragon training. According to coverage from SYFY Wire, Parker’s Astrid gets substantially more dialogue and character development compared to the mostly silent nemesis archetype from the animated film.

Gerard Butler stands as the sole actor reprising his role from the animated trilogy, stepping back into the prosthetic beard of Stoick the Vast, Berk’s chieftain and Hiccup’s father. Nick Frost, known for his comedic work in British films, plays Gobber the Belch, the village blacksmith who serves as both comic relief and dragon-fighting instructor.

• Mason Thames — Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
• Nico Parker — Astrid Hofferson
• Gerard Butler — Stoick the Vast
• Nick Frost — Gobber the Belch

Supporting Roles

January 2024 brought a wave of additional casting announcements. Gabriel Howell plays Snotlout Jorgenson, the brash dragon-fighting student who sees himself as Hiccup’s rival. Julian Dennison takes on Fishlegs Ingerman, Hiccup’s best friend who compensates for physical limitations with encyclopedic dragon knowledge. The twin Nutbrothers return as well: Bronwyn James plays Ruffnut Thorston and Harry Trevaldwyn plays Tuffnut Thorston.

Peter Serafinowicz appears as Spitelout Jorgenson, Snotlout’s father who serves as Stoick’s second-in-command. Ruth Codd plays Phlegma the Fierce, a warrior who lost half her right leg in dragon fights. Naomi Wirthner rounds out the main cast as Gothi, the village elder.

Cast of How to Train Your Dragon 4 Release Date

The film carries a 2025 theatrical release window, placing it roughly a decade after the animated trilogy concluded with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019.

Confirmed Release Window

While the specific release date within 2025 has not been publicly confirmed, the production timeline suggests a straightforward path to theaters. Filming wrapped in May 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, allowing roughly 12 months for post-production before the planned 2025 debut.

Production Timeline

• May 2023 — Mason Thames and Nico Parker cast as Hiccup and Astrid
• May 2023 — Additional cast announced, including Gerard Butler
• January 26, 2024 — Filming begins in Belfast, Northern Ireland
• May 2023 — Filming wraps
• 2025 — Theatrical release

The original animated film grossed nearly $500 million worldwide and spawned two sequels, giving DreamWorks ample commercial incentive to push the 2025 release to theaters.

Cast of How to Train Your Dragon 4 Villain

Villain casting for the live-action adaptation remains officially unannounced. The primary antagonist in both the animated film and the source material is the Red Death, a massive dragon that controls other dragons and serves as the film’s climactic challenge.

Villain Role Casting

According to coverage from SYFY Wire, the live-action Red Death is scaled up significantly — the report notes that the dragon is so massive in the new film that characters literally run around on different levels of the creature during the climactic battle. This visual expansion suggests substantial work for visual effects teams rather than traditional casting for the villain role.

Astrid notably fights between the massive teeth of the Red Death in the final battle, a visual that would require precise choreography between live-action performers and digital artists.

Cast of How to Train Your Dragon 4 Full Movie

As of now, the film has not yet been released, meaning full credits and complete cast information beyond the principal roles has not been publicly confirmed.

Streaming Availability

Streaming platform confirmation for the 2025 film remains pending. Universal Pictures is the distributor, and traditional theatrical release is the current plan. Post-theatrical streaming windows typically range from 45 to 90 days, though specific platform partnerships have not been announced.

Theatrical Details

With filming completed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the production used practical sets and locations that will translate to theatrical IMAX and standard formats. Dean DeBlois’s previous work on the animated trilogy was notable for its scope — the live-action version promises comparable ambition with real-world production value.

How to Train Your Dragon 4 vs Original Cast

Comparing the two versions reveals both continuity and significant departure in approach.

Key Character Comparisons

The table below maps each main character from the 2010 animated film to their 2025 live-action counterpart.

The most notable expansion falls to Astrid. In the animated film, she served largely as a silent antagonist to Hiccup for the majority of the story’s first act. The live-action version, as SYFY Wire reports, gives her substantially more dialogue — including scenes where she directly challenges Hiccup about his privilege and shares her own backstory. This represents a meaningful creative choice by DeBlois, who wrote and directed both versions.

Gerard Butler represents the single point of direct continuity between animated and live-action — an unusual choice that anchors the adaptation to the franchise’s history while allowing otherwise fresh faces to define the next generation of Berk’s dragon riders.

Related reading: Julian Dennison Movies – Complete List and Rankings · Ice Age Characters: Full List from All 5 Movies

Mason Thames leads as Hiccup alongside Nico Parker as Astrid and Gerard Butler as Stoick, while the complete animated and live-action cast list provides full details on voice actors from prior films.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Wikipedia — How to Train Your Dragon (2025 film)
• SYFY Wire — Live-action differences coverage