Grab Your Viking Gear! "How to Train Your Dragon" Live-Action Film Arrives on Peacock

All aboard the dragon-riding adventure! Universal Pictures is bringing some real-life dragon magic to your screens. Get ready to fasten your (virtual) viking helmets and sword, because the live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon” is all set to stream on Peacock starting October 10. For the die-hard fans, the animated trilogy trots out too, launching on October 1.

Originally, a 2010 animated film adapated from the loved-to-bits children’s book series by Cressida Cowell, this live-action film breathes fire into the story of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. This sprightly young viking, a resident of Isle of Berk, turns the dragon-hunting world on its head. Stuck on the sidelines as an outcast by his viking tribe, Hiccup stirs up things as he develops a contraption to catch a dragon of legend - the enigmatic Night Fury. Capturing one and naming it Toothless, Hiccup slowly bridges the gap between human and beast, melting boundaries and redefining the dynamics of dragons and humans living harmoniously.

The film sparkles with the performances from big-screen jewels Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Julian Dennison, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd and Andrea Ware. The reins of direction were held by Dean DeBlois, the wizard who also waved his magic on the animated adaptation. The production heraldry is shared by Marc Platt and Adam Siegel, in association with DreamWorks Animation.

The film didn't just breathe fire - it breathed magic into the box office, raking in a whopping $84.6 million in its opening weekend alone. Variety’s head film critic, Peter Debruge, showered praises on the film. In his positive review, he commended director Dean DeBlois’s “vision serving to bring the whole fantastical story one step closer to reality” and applauded the convincing performances of Thames and Parker as Hiccup and Astrid.

If this news has you gleaming, brace yourself for more! A sequel is already in the works, with the next dragon-taming adventure expected to hit the screens on June 11, 2027. So, buckle that viking belt, fans, because the dragon ride has just begun!