How To Train Your Dragon 2 Recasting This Role Is Tougher To Accept After Cate Blanchett’s Return

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As a huge animation fan, I was really curious about DreamWorks’ live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon last year. I was pleasantly surprised – it did really well with both critics and at the box office! It showed how much faith DreamWorks had in the project; they actually announced How to Train Your Dragon 2 was coming in 2027 before the first movie even hit theaters! It was a bold move, but clearly, they believed in the franchise.

Work on the new movie is really starting to move forward, with filming expected to begin in 2026. Mason Thames and Nico Parker will reprise their roles as Hiccup and Astrid, and Toothless, the beloved dragon, will also return.

The animated movie How to Train Your Dragon 2 often brings back its original voice actors, but most of the characters are being re-cast with new actors for the live-action version. This includes the villain, who will now be played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Drago. This change feels particularly difficult to accept given recent announcements.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 Just Doubled Down On Animated Actors Reprising Their Roles

The original How to Train Your Dragon film notably brought back Gerard Butler to reprise his role as Stoick, the chief of Berk and Hiccup’s father. Director Dean DeBlois felt he was the perfect choice for the live-action adaptation, and his return established a trend of bringing back actors from the animated series when appropriate for both the character and the performer.

I’m so excited! Gerard Butler is returning as Stoick in the new How to Train Your Dragon movie, which is awesome. But the biggest news? Cate Blanchett is joining the cast as Valka – she’s playing Hiccup’s mom, who everyone thought was gone! The director, DeBlois, had mentioned wanting her to be involved, and it’s finally happening! I can’t wait to see her performance.

Right now, only Gerard Butler and Cate Blanchett are reprising their voice roles from the animated films for the live-action movies. Fans of the series are thrilled to see these actors continue in their familiar parts, but it’s a letdown that this won’t happen for the character of Drago.

Djimon Hounsou Deserved A Chance To Return As Drago In Live-Action Too

With Cate Blanchett confirmed to return, production on the sequel is officially moving forward, including the selection of the actor who will play the villain. Djimon Hounsou originally voiced the character Drago in the first film, delivering a standout performance that many fans consider a key reason why it’s the strongest How to Train Your Dragon movie, and there’s been significant demand for him to return to the role.

However, DreamWorks and DeBlois went a different direction. It’s unknown if they ever considered asking Djimon Hounsou to reprise his role, but he won’t be returning. If they didn’t even discuss it with him, the decision to replace him – especially considering how memorable his performance was – is even more unexpected.

I really respect Ólafsson’s potential as Drago, and I think he’ll do a fantastic job with the character, just like Kit Harington and America Ferrera did with Hiccup and Astrid. However, I was expecting Djimon Hounsou to reprise the role, especially after Cate Blanchett signed on. It would have been great to see Hounsou return, and announcing Drago’s recasting so quickly feels a little premature.

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2026-01-16 21:48