For well over a decade, Disney has found success remaking popular animated movies in live-action, so it wasn’t surprising when other studios decided to follow the trend. DreamWorks made the leap last summer with a reimagining of How to Train Your Dragon, which earned positive reviews and broke franchise box office records en route to a $636.3 million worldwide haul. How to Train Your Dragon wasn’t as big of a hit as fellow live-action remake Lilo & Stitch, but Universal was clearly pleased with the results. The studio wasted no time in giving a How to Train Your Dragon 2 remake the green light, scheduling it for 2027. Before production starts, casting is underway, and a familiar face is coming back to the franchise.
According to Variety, Oscar winner Cate Blanchett has been cast in How to Train Your Dragon 2. She will reprise her role of Valka, Hiccup’s mother, the character she voiced in the original animated films. Coincidentally, this means that both of Hiccup’s parents are portrayed by the same actors in both the animated and live-action versions of How to Train Your Dragon. Gerard Butler returned to play Stoick the Vast in the remake, and he will also be in the sequel.
Bringing Cate Blanchett Back for How to Train Your Dragon 2 Is Perfect
Image Courtesy of DreamWorks
Valka is a very important character in the How to Train Your Dragon 2 story, so it was pertinent for the filmmakers to find a strong actor for the remake. In that respect, there wasn’t a better option available than Blanchett, an incomparable talent who’s already proven she has what it takes to deliver compelling performances as Valka. Her debut in the original animated How to Train Your Dragon 2 was a highlight, establishing Valka as one of the most fascinating figures in the series. Having lived most of her life amongst the dragons and learning so much about them, she’s is a well-rounded character full of heart, and Blanchett certainly has the range to convey all aspects of Valka.
There’s no limit to what Blanchett can do. She has an incredibly diverse filmography, highlighting her ability to seamlessly jump from genre to genre. She’s earned awards for her performances in dramas like The Aviator and Blue Jasmine, but she also isn’t out of her element in big-budget genre pictures. Over the course of her career, Blanchett has appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Thor: Ragnarok, and more. While animation is obviously a different medium than live-action, Blanchett has plenty of experience with fantasy films and is an exciting addition to the How to Train Your Dragon 2 cast.
It’ll be interesting to see how Blanchett translates Valka to live-action. Since the first How to Train Your Dragon was a faithful reimagining, odds are that is the formula the sequel will follow. This means Blanchett’s performance should be quite similar to her voice-over role from the original, only perhaps a little more grounded to account for the shift to live-action. There still could be some notable differences in the portrayal. In Butler’s first go around as the live-action Stoick, he was able to lend a greater sense of depth in some moments. Blanchett should be able to do the same, ideally elevating the remake to another level.
It hasn’t been confirmed if How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World will also receive a live-action remake, but odds are that’s very much in the cards. As long as How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a hit, Universal will want to keep the franchise going. Director Dean DeBlois has previously commented on the idea of live-action spinoffs, but a straight remake of the third film, bringing the trilogy to a close, is the most logical next step. This means Blanchett should be in line to return for The Hidden World, which is great news.
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