Gerard Butler Hypes the Best Thing About ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Live-Action Remake

Gerard Butler
is busier than ever right now, and one of his highly anticipated movies is the upcoming live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon

. While there are some fans of the animated franchise that have questioned why a live-action adaptation is needed, Butler really cannot wait for audiences to see the end result. In a recent interview, he hyped up the “incredible” movie, suggesting that fans may well be happier with the film than they expect to be.

How to Train Your Dragon was originally released in 2010 and the Dreamworks Animation movie did not take long to find its audience, resulting in a $494 worldwide gross. Two direct sequels and three TV shows later, and the popular franchise was always going to be on the growing list of animated movies being turned into spectacular CGI-laden live-action releases. The resulting movie will be released in cinemas in June, and Butler will be right there reprising his role as Stoick the Vast.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Butler shared his feelings about the upcoming movie. For the actor, one of the great differences between the animated and live-action versions was actually being able to “live” in the environment seen on screen. He said:

“I’d always wondered making those movies, you know, seeing the animated version, ‘What would it be like to actually have to be that size? To be that character and to live?’ Because for me, one of the great things about being an actor is you get to live in those other worlds, but you don’t when it’s animated. But now they’ve made the live-action, and suddenly you’re in those arenas, and you’re in that Viking village. The movie’s incredible. I’ve seen it without effects. It’s amazing. But I cannot wait for the world to see it.”

‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Could Start a New Franchise

Just as Disney has expanded their live-action version of The Lion King to include 2024’s Mufasa: The Lion Kingthere is no doubt that if How to Train Your Dragon delivers big things for Universal Pictures this summer, more films will follow. The real question is exactly how this new version of the franchise would be able to continue without simply repeating what has come before.

Remaking one movie in the franchise is one thing, but to remake the entire trilogy beat for beat would probably wear thin very soon. The one thing that is noticeable about the run of animation to live-action remakes that really started to take off around seven to eight years ago with movies like The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beastand Aladdinis that sequels don’t seem to be happening despite being planned.

Disney original put in place a sequel and spinoff series to Aladdinand a prequel series to Beauty and the Beastwhich would have seen Luke Evans and Josh Gad returning to their roles of Gaston and LeFou, but these projects are either indefinitely on hold or have been canceled entirely. So is there really a point in doing live-action remakes at all? Box office results in the main suggest there is, and as long as that continues to be the case, there are many more movies lined up to follow this year’s How to Train Your Dragon, Snow Whiteand Lilo & Stitch.