Who Plays Astrid In How To Train Your Dragon's Live-Action Remake?
Universal Pictures has found an Astrid for its live-action remake of DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon." According to The Hollywood Reporter, the young Viking warrior who joins Hiccup on his quest to make the world safe for cohabitation between humanity and dragon kind will be portrayed by Nico Parker. The British actress made her onscreen debut in 2019 with Disney's live-action remake of "Dumbo" as Milly Farrier.
Since then, she joined HBO's "The Third Eye" which starred Jude Law, and Warner Bros. Pictures' "Reminiscence," which starred Hugh Jackman. But her most prominent credit can be found in HBO's "The Last of Us," a 2023 live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed 2013 videogame of the same name. In it, Parker portrayed Sarah Miller, the late daughter of Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller. It was her death that set Joel on the path that he would follow throughout the series.
Parker's future features more than a trip to Berk, however, as she's also attached to star in Searchlight's upcoming "Suncoast," alongside Laura Linney and Woody Harrelson. As of this writing, Parker is only one of two cast members who have been announced, with the other being Mason Thames, who is set to portray Hiccup. The live-action adaptation of "How to Train Your Dragon" is set to be released on March 14, 2025.
Astrid is unapologetically herself and that's why we love her
The "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy of animated films (as well as the connected specials and many serialized spinoffs) serve as an extended coming-of-age narrative in which the main characters grow from adolescence to adulthood. Not just for Hiccup and Toothless, but for Astrid and the rest, too. In the first film, Astrid Hofferson is 15, headstrong, and competitive to a fault. She believes the myth passed down by the elders of Berk that dragons are inherently barbaric creatures, so she's more than a little reluctant to see Hiccup's evidence to the contrary. But when the truth finally sinks in, she defends dragons — and Hiccup — with that same stubborn vigor. And people tend to listen to Astrid, especially while she's brandishing her battle axe.
According to America Farerra, the voice talent behind Astrid's animated depiction, that unapologetic confidence is what makes her so appealing as a character. During an interview with Film Is Now, Ferrara said, "I think that girls and boys, alike, love Astrid because of her spirit — her sort of warrior spirit. She's not hesitant about her skills and her power and she just goes for whatever it is that she wants. And she's also self-determined. She knows what she cares about, she knows what her strengths are, and she's unapologetic about them."
\It's too early yet to hear Nico Parker's thoughts on the role but expect to hear more from her as 2025 draws nearer.