Nick Frost, best known for leading roles in Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, has joined Universal's upcoming live-action How To Train Your Dragon.
In the film, Frost will be portraying Gobber the Belch.
Gobber, who appears in both the book series and the animated features, has a larger-than-life personality. Gobber is Berk's village blacksmith, in charge of forging weapons and armor for the Viking warriors to fight the dragons.
Gobber was previously voiced by Craig Ferguson in the animated films.
Recently, the film announced that Gerard Butler would be returning to the How To Train Your Dragon franchise to play village chief Stoick the Vast, a character Butler voiced in the animated films.
He also tutors the main character, Hiccup, giving him practical counsel and encouragement as he navigates dragon training and life in general.
The live-action adaptation is set to hit theaters on June 13, 2025. The film's intended March 14, 2025 release date was pushed back due to this summer's SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike. Pixar's Elio is scheduled to be released on June 13, 2025. Disney's live-action Moana adaptation will be released in theaters two weeks later.
Dean DeBlois, who wrote and directed all three animated How To Train Your Dragon movies, has committed to write and direct the live-action version.
Hiccup will be played by Mason Thames, who most recently starred in The Black Phone. Nico Parker (daughter of Thandie Newton) will play Astrid, who was Sarah Miller in The Last of Us.
Cressida Cowell's award-winning children's book series inspired the film franchise which has earned more than $1.6 billion globally.
How To Train Your Dragon Official Synopsis: A winning mixture of adventure, slapstick comedy, and friendship, How to Train Your Dragon rivals Kung Fu Panda as the most engaging and satisfying film DreamWorks Animation has produced. Hiccup (voice by Jay Baruchel) is a failure as a Viking: skinny, inquisitive, and inventive, he asks questions and tries out unsuccessful contraptions when he's supposed to be fighting the dragons that attack his village.
His father, chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), has pretty much given up on his teenage son and apprenticed him to blacksmith Gobber (Craig Ferguson). Worse, Hiccup knows the village loser hasn't a chance of impressing Astrid (America Ferrera), the girl of his dreams and a formidable dragon fighter in her own right. When one of Hiccup's inventions actually works, he hasn't the heart to kill the young dragon he's brought down. He names it Toothless and befriends it, although he's been taught to fear and loathe dragons.