The very first image from the live-action remake of Dragonsthe Dreamworks animated film, has just dropped, and should please fans.
Fourteen years after the first part of the trilogy Dragons, the live action remake project (which no one asked for) is taking shape. At the helm, we find Dean DeBlois, who had already directed the Dreamworks films themselves based on the novels Harold and the Dragons by Cressida Cowell, which promises a certain respect for the original work (even if one of the actresses has already announced that the remake would take liberties). The music will always be by John Powell.
In the casting, Mason Thames will play young Harold, a few years after being discovered in Black Phone. Nico Parker, seen in the first episode of the series The Last of Us where she played Joel's daughter, will take on the role of Astrid. On the adult side, the Vikings will have Gerard Butler and Nick Frost in their ranks. And all this becomes very concrete, sincea very first image from the film has just been revealed by Universal Pictures and relayed by Empire.
Are you planning to put dragons in your Dragons film?
This first image shows a well-known scene from the first film of the trilogy, during which Hiccup must prove himself in an arena where he is presented with dragons. A first image which immediately plunges back into the atmosphere of the animated film, with obvious fidelity in the situation represented and in the settings, and a Mason Thames who already exudes all the energy of a real Harold.
On the other hand, not the slightest dragon for the moment, which has the merit of maintaining the mystery, but which is also a little frustrating, these fantastic animals being the real stars of the franchise. That said, Dean DeBlois did not hold back from teasing Empire what the dragons in the film will be particularly impressivenotably by referring to the scene in which Hiccup meets Toothless, his future best friend:
“We upped the stakes a lot and we end up with a completely believable, photo-realistic looking dragon, stomping around and trying to kill him.”
Enough to make fans want to believe that this live-action remake will justify its reason for being. But another detail that will not escape anyone may be less pleasing: the image seems very grayish, where the animated trilogy shines with the vibrancy of its colors. Will this live-action version suffer from this inexplicable evil of the century that removes the saturation of Hollywood films? Hopefully, in this regard, this first look is not representative of the film's general photography.
Furthermore, the artistic direction of the costumes and sets, which seem both neat while assuming a bit of a cartoon side like Parc Astérixpromises a fairly skillful balance between a true adventure film and a legacy of animated productions aimed at children. In France, the release of the film is announced on June 11, 2025so we will still have to wait before seeing more.
