‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Remake Director Teases Big Changes to the Beloved Original

June 19, 2025

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The live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake is currently soaring high in theaters across the globe. The film, directed by Dean DeBlois (who also helmed the animated original), earned strong reviews upon its release, and audiences have reacted equally warmly to the live-action reboot. With the movie already being considered a success, especially in comparison to other live-action remakes of animated classics, a sequel is inevitable. While the new live-action movie is almost a shot-for-shot remake of the original, DeBlois wants to make some big changes in the anticipated sequel.

Speaking to Discussing Film to promote How to Train Your Dragon, Dean DeBlos revealed that he’s already looking ahead to the sequel, and it includes altering some of his least favorite parts of the film. The original How to Train Your Dragon 2 is considered by many to be the best in the trilogy, and DeBlois is well aware of that sentiment. “It’s very amorphous right now,” he began. “I think there’s something about the second animated movie that most fans prefer out of the trilogy, and I want to hold on to that aspiration. [How to Train Your Dragon 2] was like our Empire Strikes Back, where everything got bigger and broader. Characters get richer and things get scarier, as well.”

“When it comes to that side of things, I just don’t care.”

Dean DeBlois, having directed the original movies as well as the new remakes, knows the world of How to Train Your Dragon better than anyone else (aside from the original author of the books, Cressida Cowell). With that knowledge also comes regrets from the production of the original trilogy. As well as leaning into the aspects of the original sequel that fans loved, DeBlois also wants to course correct his biggest mistakes:

“That said, there are still regrets I have — having written and directed the second film — that I would love to address in the live-action version. So, we don’t necessarily have to color inside the lines [in terms of the original’s story and plot], but it’s an exploration at the moment. I’m literally writing the script right now.”

‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Is in a Lose/Lose Situation

Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast in How To Train Your Dragon — Universal Pictures

The new How to Train Your Dragon remake might be a critical and box-office hit, but it hasn’t been released in theaters entirely free from criticism. The biggest critique is, ironically, the opposite of what most live-action remakes are subject to. DeBlois’s How to Train Your Dragon remake is considered to be too faithful to the original. This has led fans to question why the film was remade in the first place.

That criticism has put How to Train Your Dragon 2‘s remake in a tricky position. The film will be criticized regardless of which path DeBlois takes. Some will label it as another lazy and unnecessary remake if it also remains close to the original. Meanwhile, others will take offense if the film deviates from the original. There is a third option where the live-action remake manages to improve the beloved original, but that is incredibly hard to accomplish.

Source: Discussing Film