How to Train Your Dragon 2 Confirms Another Star From the Animated Movies Will Return for Live-Action Series

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Disney has successfully remade its classic animated films into live-action movies for over ten years, inspiring other studios to do the same. Last summer, DreamWorks tried this with a new version of How to Train Your Dragon, which critics liked and earned over $636 million worldwide, setting a new box office record for the series. While not as big a hit as Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, Universal was happy with the results and quickly approved a live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon 2, scheduled for release in 2027. Casting is now beginning, and a well-known actor from the original franchise is returning.

Cate Blanchett, the Academy Award-winning actress, is returning to voice Valka in How to Train Your Dragon 2, according to Variety. Valka is Hiccup’s mother, a role she originally played in the animated films. Interestingly, this means both of Hiccup’s parents will be voiced by the same actors in both the animated and live-action versions of How to Train Your Dragon. Gerard Butler is also reprising his role as Stoick the Vast in the sequel, just as he did in the remake.

Bringing Cate Blanchett Back for How to Train Your Dragon 2 Is Perfect

Valka is a key character in How to Train Your Dragon 2, so filmmakers needed a powerful actor to play her in the remake. Cate Blanchett was the perfect choice – she’s an incredibly talented performer who has already shown she can bring compelling characters to life, as she did with her memorable debut as Valka in the original animated film. Valka is a complex and heartwarming character, having spent years living with and understanding dragons, and Blanchett is more than capable of portraying all her different sides.

Cate Blanchett is an incredibly versatile actress. Her career shows she can move effortlessly between different types of movies – from serious dramas like The Aviator and Blue Jasmine, which have earned her awards, to large-scale blockbusters like the Lord of the Rings films, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Thor: Ragnarok. Even though animated films are different from live-action, Blanchett’s experience with fantasy makes her a great addition to the cast of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

It will be fascinating to see how Cate Blanchett brings the character of Valka to life on screen. Given that the first How to Train Your Dragon movie was a very close adaptation of the source material, the sequel will likely follow the same approach. This suggests Blanchett’s live-action performance should be similar to her voice work in the original film, though perhaps with a more realistic feel. However, we can still expect some differences in her portrayal. Just as Gerard Butler brought extra depth to Stoick in the first live-action film, Blanchett has the potential to do the same, and hopefully make this remake even better.

While it’s not official yet, a live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is likely. If the recent How to Train Your Dragon 2 does well, Universal Pictures will probably want to continue the series. Director Dean DeBlois has talked about potential spin-offs, but a remake of the third film seems like the most sensible option, and that would mean Cate Blanchett could reprise her role – which is fantastic news for fans.

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2026-01-16 00:40