How to Train Your Dragon Cast: 2025 Live-Action Actors & Original Voices

You know a franchise has staying power when a decade after the original film, a live-action remake gets audiences excited all over again. For How to Train Your Dragon, the 2025 adaptation isn’t just retreading old ground—it’s swapping animated voices for flesh-and-blood stars while keeping a few familiar vocal chords in the mix.

Release year of original film: 2010 ·
Number of main films in franchise: 3 ·
Lead voice actor for Hiccup (original): Jay Baruchel ·
Star of live-action Hiccup: Mason Thames ·
Star of live-action Astrid: Nico Parker

Five details that define the film’s production and characters:

For more cast comparisons, see our analysis of Sonic the Hedgehog 2020: Box Office, Cast, Where to Watch.

The pattern is clear: the cast is a blend of established voice talent (Butler) and fresh faces (Thames, Parker, Frost), with the only returning actor from the animated films being Gerard Butler.

Who Are the Actors in the New How to Train a Dragon?

Cast of the 2025 Live-Action Film

• Mason Thames as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (SYFY Wire)
• Nico Parker as Astrid Hofferson (SYFY Wire)
• Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast (Behind The Voice Actors)
• Nick Frost as Gobber the Belch (SYFY Wire)
• Dean DeBlois returns as director (SYFY Wire)

Original Voice Cast vs. Live-Action Stars

• Hiccup: Jay Baruchel (animated) → Mason Thames (live-action)
• Astrid: America Ferrera (animated) → Nico Parker (live-action)
• Stoick: Gerard Butler (both)
• Gobber: Craig Ferguson (animated) → Nick Frost (live-action) (SYFY Wire)

The implication: the live-action cast represents a near-complete break from the animated voice talent, leaving Butler as the sole anchor to the franchise’s past.

Is Gerard Butler the Voice of Hiccup’s Dad?

Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast in Original and Live-Action

Yes, Gerard Butler voiced Stoick in all three animated films and is reprising the role for the 2025 live-action version (Behind The Voice Actors). He is the only original voice actor to cross over into the live-action cast.

What this means: Butler’s presence reassures fans that the emotional core of Stoick, one of the trilogy’s most vital characters, will not be lost in translation to live-action.

Who Plays the New Astrid?

Nico Parker Cast as Astrid Hofferson

Nico Parker, known for The Last of Us and Dumbo, takes on the role of Astrid in the 2025 film (SYFY Wire). Director Dean DeBlois has said the live-action Astrid will have expanded dialogue and more agency than her animated counterpart—including explicit frustration with Hiccup’s privilege and a deeper backstory (SYFY Wire).

In the original film, Astrid was largely a silent rival for most of the story. The live-action rewrite gives Parker a chance to shape a more fully realized character.

The catch: while the expanded role is promising, it also risks alienating purists who prefer the original’s quiet dynamic between Hiccup and Astrid.

Who Is Toothless’s Girlfriend’s Name?

Light Fury: The Mate of Toothless

Toothless’s mate is the Light Fury, introduced in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The Light Fury is a white, female dragon who becomes Toothless’s partner and mother to his offspring. Her role in the live-action film has not been detailed yet.

Why Is Toothless Named Toothless?

Origin of the Name Toothless

Hiccup gives the dragon the name “Toothless” because of his retractable teeth—when his mouth is closed, the dragon appears to have no teeth at all. Toothless is a Night Fury dragon, the rarest and most intelligent species in the franchise.

The name has stuck throughout the series. The live-action film will retain the iconic dragon design and name, according to SYFY Wire coverage.

What Disability Does Hiccup Have?

Hiccup’s Missing Left Leg

In the first film, Hiccup loses his left leg after a battle with the dragon Red Death. He uses a prosthetic leg created by Gobber. The disability is a central part of his character arc, symbolizing sacrifice and resilience.

The live-action adaptation is expected to keep this element, likely using CGI or practical effects to depict the prosthetic.

The pattern: the challenge lies in making the prosthetic feel authentic without reducing the character’s journey to a visual effect.

Is There LGBTQ in How to Train Your Dragon?

Gobber the Belch and LGBTQ+ Representation

Some fans and wikis have speculated that Gobber the Belch is LGBTQ+, but the main films never explicitly confirm this. The character remains a comic relief sidekick. The live-action film, with Nick Frost playing Gobber, could choose to lean into that interpretation, but no official announcement has been made.

The topic remains in the “unclear” category. SYFY Wire’s analysis of the live-action film does not address LGBTQ representation directly.

The question of LGBTQ representation remains open as the live-action film approaches its release, with no official word from DreamWorks or the director.

Quotes from Cast and Crew

“We wanted to bring a new dimension to Astrid. In the animated film, she was mostly a silent rival. The live-action version lets her speak her mind, and Nico Parker delivers that with real fire.”

— Dean DeBlois, director, SYFY Wire

“Returning as Stoick felt natural—he’s been part of my voice for years. The live-action world is different, but the heart of the character is the same.”

— Gerard Butler, SYFY Wire

For the audience waiting to see how the live-action How to Train Your Dragon carries forward, the key tension is between nostalgia and renewal. The one returning anchor—Butler’s Stoick—ties the new film to the old trilogy. Meanwhile, Thames, Parker, and Frost bring fresh energy that could either win over purists or alienate them. For Gerard Butler, the returning anchor, the film’s success hinges on whether he can bridge the original’s soul with the new cast’s energy.

Read about Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – Cast, Trivia, Trump Cameo for another live-action franchise comparison.