It’s official, our fellow Berkians! We know who will play Hiccup and Astrid in the upcoming live-action How to Train Your Dragon. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Nico Parker (The Last of Us) and Mason Thames (The Black Phone) will play our favourite Viking partners in the upcoming film.
Mason will play Hiccup, while Nico will be Astrid. Previously, the report was that Jack Dylan Grazer and Auliʻi Cravalho had been tapped to play the pair. This was also paired with Joel Edgerton, likely to be cast as Stoick, Hiccup’s widowed father. However, this now seems unlikely, but we’ll see what happens when more news comes out.
Here’s a brief rundown for those unfamiliar with the Hiccup and Astrid in the first animated film. There will be a few tiny things from the second and third films to add context.
Getting To Know Astrid And Hiccup
Hiccup is the heir to the throne of the Isle of Berk. His father is Stoick the Vast, the chief of the tribe who is overly protective of his only son. Hiccup is unlike the other Vikings and is seen as a disappointment to those around him. Why? Because he doesn’t like killing dragons.
When Hiccup accidentally shoots down a Night Fury, he finds he cannot kill it and decides to befriend the creature. Over time, the boy and the dragon he names Toothless form an incredibly close bond. However, Astrid, one of the biking teenagers, becomes suspicious when Hiccup keeps sneaking off.
Astrid, who is super competitive and is pitted against Hiccup at various times, cannot understand why he keeps getting things right over her. So, she follows him and discovers he’s befriended a dragon instead of killing one.
At first, Astrid and Toothless despise each other but soon develop a bond too. Hiccup takes her flying, and she learns that dragons are trying to defend themselves by bringing food to the alpha dragon or risk being eaten.
Astrid suggests going to Stoick with the information, but Hiccup is deadset against it knowing how his father is. When Hiccup is sent out to kill a dragon in front of the village, he refuses. When the dragon attempts to kill him, Toothless defends and is captured. With Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless exposed, Hiccup and Astrid hatch a plan with the other teenagers to stop the alpha dragon and get Toothless out of trouble.
#Hiccstrid
By the film’s end, Astrid has kissed Hiccup at least twice and has become friendly, if not romantic, towards him. This ends up being an essential part of the characters as the second film has them engaged, and the third film sees them married after the Dragons have been sent to the Hidden World.
When there is more information on who else has been cast, we’ll share it. We’re super excited to see how different the live-action versions of the characters are from their animated counterparts. Good luck, Mason and Nico!
