Gerard Butler is reprising his animated role as Chief Stoick in the upcoming live-action adaptation of How to train your dragon. This is unusual for actors, but the first trailer for How to train your dragon proves that no one could have replaced Butler as Stoick. The plot of the next How to train your dragon the adaptation will follow Hiccup, a Norse teenager who, instead of killing a dragon, as his people do, befriends an injured dragon and names it Toothless.
Gerard Butler’s character, Stoick, is Hiccup’s father in the film, and at first refuses to understand why his son doesn’t want to follow his people’s way of life. In addition to Butler, the live-action cast How to train your dragon includes Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Nick Frost and Julian Dennison. The original animation How to train your dragon movies are loved by fans, so people are eager to see how the live-action cast will portray the characters. However, as far as Butler is concerned, his return to the franchise appears destined to live up to public expectations.
Gerard Butler’s Live-Action Stoick Looks Perfect in How to Train Your Dragon
Gerard Butler plays Viking leader Stoick in How to Train Your Dragon
In addition to Hiccup and Toothless, Stoick the Vast is the most prominent character in the first live-action trailer How to train your dragon film. This makes sense, as Gerard Butler is the most recognizable member of the cast. Butler’s deep, powerful voice has always been a perfect fit for the character of Stoick in How to train your dragon animated films, and the first trailer proves that his physical presence also suits the character perfectly.
In the trailer, Butler’s Stoick can be seen standing in front of a Viking ship, raising his ax into the air as battle approaches, and walking in front of an army of warriors. Even though the trailer only features brief scenes of Stoick, Butler clearly commands every scene the character is in. The trailer also shows Stoick telling his son that he will kill dragons, which provokes one of the main conflicts in How to train your dragon.
How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Movie Could Show Just How Irreplaceable Gerard Butler Is as Boss Stoick
Gerard Butler’s Stoick is a highlight of the new How to Train Your Dragon trailer
When it was announced that a live-action adaptation of the animated film How to train your dragon was being made, many fans made suggestions about who should play characters like Hiccup, Astrid, and Gobber. However, It would have been difficult to find a worthy replacement for Chief Stoick. How Gerard Butler’s Age Aligns With His How to train your dragon character very well, it would have been a missed opportunity not to include him in the live-action adaptation.
The next How to train your dragon live-action film can show that, without a doubt, Gerard Butler is the perfect actor to play Stoick. Stoick is the leader of the island of Berk, so it is essential for him to have a commanding presence. Throughout his career, Butler has proven adept at portraying natural leaders – be it King Leonidas in 300or Mike Banning on It fell franchise. This inherent authority makes him perfectly suited for a character as domineering as Stoick in How to train your dragon.
How to Train Your Dragon, set on the Viking island of Berk, follows Hiccup, a young Viking who defies tradition by befriending a Night Fury dragon named Toothless. Their bond reveals new insights into dragons and transforms Viking society’s understanding of these creatures.
- Director
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Dean DeBlois
- Release date
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June 13, 2025
- Studio(s)
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DreamWorks Images
- Distributor(s)
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Universal Images