Though some stars have made their way from animation to live action in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, Kit Harington won't be one of them as the role of Eret is being recast for the next instalment.
The Game of Thrones and Eternals star voiced the character in 2014's How to Train Your Dragon 2, and reprised his role in the 2019 sequel, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
Despite much anticipation, it has been confirmed that he won't be returning for the second movie in the live-action series of films, with The Hollywood Reporter writing that Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster is set to take over the role.
Eret, a dragon trapper by trade, isn't the only character to be recast for the upcoming film. Deadline reported that Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is primed to take over the role of Bludvist from Djimon Hounsou, who previously voiced the role.
One star who will be reprising their role, however, is Cate Blanchett, with the actor set to play Valka once again. The figure is the long-lost mother of central character Hiccup, and was previously presumed deceased.
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How to Train Your Dragon 2 continues the adventures of Hiccup and his friends, with the group having to battle warlord Drago as he prepares to assemble an army of dragons to rule the world.
The first film of the live-action franchise, which was released last year, saw Gerard Butler reprise his role from the animations as Stoick the Vast. Mason Thames portrayed Hiccup, with the supporting cast including Nico Parker, Nick Frost and Julian Dennison.
Upon its release, the film was praised by critics for its faithfulness to the original animation as well as for its own style, with Rotten Tomatoes currently reporting a solid approval rating of 77% from 261 reviews.
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"It may be completely unnecessary but this live action remake is still a great story. The story is heartwarming, the visuals are exciting, and the themes of courage used for a deeper understanding are still worthy," wrote Movie Mom.
"Toothless is as charismatic as ever; the flying sequences and natural landscapes are appropriately breathtaking, and if the film is overly enamored of lesser dragons belching fire at incoherently bellowing Norsemen, well, so was the original," opined NPR.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is scheduled to be released in 2027.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
