It’s A Wrap: Director Dean DeBlois Confirms How to Train Your Dragon 2 Has Finished Filming

Got a soft spot for dragons and high-flying nostalgia? Well, Universal’s not about to let the How to Train Your Dragon train lose any steam. After the surprisingly successful leap to live-action in 2025, they’re now charging full-speed ahead on a sequel—and it looks like we’re getting some first hints about what’s next for Hiccup, Toothless, and friends. Here’s the rundown.

A Fast-Tracked Franchise

So, Universal didn’t waste any time riding the dragon tails. The live-action How to Train Your Dragon hit theaters in June 2025, basically reworking the original animated classic but with some new touches—and seriously, it paid off. Fans ate it up, critics got on board, and the movie cleared a hefty $636.6 million at the box office. For those keeping score, that was about $130 million more than the 2010 animated movie made back in the day. Not bad for a story everyone already knew.

Here’s how the main cast shaped up:

• Mason Thames as Hiccup (taking over as our favorite awkward Viking kid)
• Nico Parker as Astrid (arguably the best warrior in the bunch, back with more live-action intensity)
• Gerard Butler, who voiced Stoick the Vast in the originals, now getting to actually be Stoick in the flesh—which, let’s be honest, is a pretty inspired bit of casting fan service

Dean DeBlois returned to direct, which probably helped keep things feeling familiar—in a good way. Most of the major story beats from the 2010 movie came along for the ride, but there were just enough new twists to keep diehards on their toes. Clearly, the gamble worked.

The Sequel: New Twists, Old Friends

Universal was so confident after the first film’s box office haul, they actually announced a sequel months before the live-action debut even hit movie screens. Production on How to Train Your Dragon 2 kicked off in January 2026, with DeBlois directing again and the key cast sticking around.

Here’s something interesting: while the first live-action movie barely tinkered with the animated story, DeBlois has hinted that part two is going to break out more significantly from its source material. No details on plot twists just yet, but he’s openly said it might not be a straight-up scene-for-scene do-over. (Personally, I’m all for that—the animated sequel was already pretty wild.)

Production Wraps (and a First Look)

Fast forward to now: DeBlois just dropped a production update over on Instagram. A new behind-the-scenes photo confirms principal photography has wrapped. The shot is a close-up of Mason Thames’s Hiccup gripping the special sword he forges in the second story—the 'Inferno' blade, also called the Dragon Blade. For folks not obsessed with the lore, this is the sword doused in dragon spit and sparked up so, yeah, it literally bursts into flame on command. (It’s one of those bits everyone remembers from the animated version, so it’s cool to see it get the full live-action treatment.)

'We’re moving along—filming is done. Now comes the tricky part,' DeBlois shared on Instagram, stoking anticipation for what’s next.

No word yet on what else is changing, but with a 2027 release date creeping up, I’d expect more teases and reveals soon. For now, the message is clear: Toothless, Hiccup, and the entire Berk crew aren’t going anywhere—and neither is Universal’s ambition to make this one of the most epic kid-friendly franchises out there.

More news as it lands.