DreamWorks' upcoming live-action remake ofHow to Train Your Dragonhas understandably replaced the actor playing the movie’s main character, butHiccup’s original actor must still feature in the 2025 effort. Hiccup has been voiced so far by the same person since the first movie was released in 2010. Since then, he has gone on to reprise the role ineveryHow to Train Your Dragonmovie and TV show. While he hasn’t been confirmed to be part of thelive-actionHow to Train Your Dragoncastyet, it would be surprising if he didn’t appear in some capacity.
Thelive-actionHow to Train Your Dragon’s release dateis set for July 17, 2025. So, there isn’t long left to wait until the remake hits cinemas. The first trailer suggests the movie will be a shot-for-shot remake of the original, with even Toothless' iconic character design remaining intact.Mason Thames is stepping in to inherit the role of Hiccup, but he has some pretty big shoes to fill.
Jay Baruchel Needs A Cameo In The Live-Action How To Train Your Dragon Remake
The movie can pay homage to Hiccup’s long-serving actor
Baruchel has been the biggest stalwart of theDragonsfranchise, and as it stands, the 2025 movie will be the first show or movie to lack his involvement. His legacy in the animated saga is indisputable, as proven by how much his live-action replacement is allowing Baruchel’s countless performances as Hiccup to influence his own portrayal of the character. Logically,it wouldn’t make sense for Baruchel to reprise the role of Hiccup in live-action, as he would already have been too old to do so even in 2010. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t be given a cameo as a different character.
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Jay Baruchel isn’t a household name, but his voice part as Hiccup is his seminal role, so many fans of theDragonsfranchise may not even recognize him if he does show up in the remake. While this doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be afforded the opportunity to make his live-actionHow to Train Your Dragondebut, it simply means it’ll be a more subtle thank you to the actor for bringing Hiccup to live for so many years.
Jay Baruchel Is Unlikely To Play A Major Character In How To Train Your Dragon’s Live-Action Remake
The 2025 adaptation doesn’t seem to have a lot of room for deviation
The adaptation’s mega-faithful approach to translating the medium into live-action doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for Baruchel to appear. Although the teaser doesn’t show a particularly detailed cross-section of the upcoming movie, the scenes that it does show seem to champion accuracy to the 2010 effort. If this is a trend across the entire remake,there aren’t really any major characters who Baruchel would be suited to play. All the kids are too young for the actor to portray, and he isn’t quite the right fit for any of Berk’s more senior figures.
Hiccup’s full name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.
What is perhaps one of the most likely outcomes is that Hiccup’s original actor appears as a background character, or appears in a scene where he is shown only briefly. It would be great to see him given a line or two, but if DreamWorks doesn’t want to compromise the integrity of the original movie,creating a role for Baruchel just to shoehorn him into the remake seems like it might not happen.
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The Hidden World’s flashforward offers Baruchel the most promise
Although Hiccup ages slightly as the trilogy progresses, he never really reaches a point where it would be unrealistic for Thames to continue playing him within the main story. That being said, at the end of 2019’sHow to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,the trilogy concludes with a heartwarming epilogue set in Hiccup’s future. The flashforward shows Hiccup and Astrid have finally tied the knot and had kids, and Baruchel’s character looks notably older. So, the original actor could step in for this short sequence, and it would make perfect sense.
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Although it could be argued that Mason Thames should be allowed to retain the role of Hiccup throughout the live-action trilogy (if the two sequels are also greenlit for adaptation),it would be very fitting to give Baruchel at least one opportunity to interact with Toothlessand the dragon’s new family just before the live-action trilogy concludes. Currently in his early forties, the actor would likely be closer to 50 by the time of a live-actionHow to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden Worldremake,which would align him even better with the age of the future Hiccup.
How to Train Your Dragon
Cast
How to Train Your Dragon, released in 2025, depicts the story of Hiccup, a young Viking who defies tradition on the isle of Berk by befriending Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their friendship uncovers the true nature of dragons, challenging entrenched Viking perceptions and societal norms.
