I tried not to make that joke -- but hey, everyone else is using McLovin' ones!The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Gerard Butler joins America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel and Christopher Mintz-Plasse to voice How to Train Your Dragon. Get your minds out of the gutter -- this is a children's comedy about a scrawny Viking teenager who must capture and subdue a wild dragon. Based on the Cressida Cowell book, the story centers on the timid son of a Viking chief who must capture and train a dragon in order to be initiated into his tribe.
Baruchel will voice the boy, named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, who is saddled with an undersized and uncooperative dragon. Butler is the father and chief of the tribe, Stoick the Vast (how appropriate for a former Beowulf), while Ferrera voices Astrid, who partners with Hiccup for the initiation. Hill will play Snotlout, a bully who thinks he should be the next chief, and Mintz-Plasse portrays Fishlegs, a Viking big in size but small in brains.
This is a DreamWorks Animation production, and the second to be made in Ultimate 3-D. (Many girls are now thinking how they wanted to see a 3-D Gerard Butler film, but this wasn't precisely what anyone had in mind.) It has a release date of March 26th, 2010, moved up from its original release of November 2009.
Did anyone envision Butler cornering the youth market after 300? Everyone had him pegged for mindless action flicks -- but instead he's making Nim's Island and How to Train Your Dragon. Given that his was the "This is SPARTA!" cry heard round the world, it's rather apt he is lending his voice out to animation.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-18-2008 @ 12:52PM
Tigerlily said...
I'm impressed with the turn of Butler's career path. Perhaps forming his Evil Twins production company will prove to be the best thing he's ever done. Personally, I think all adult actors secretly have a desire to be the voice of an animated character, probably hearkens back to their childhoods. Disney and Pixar made it chic. An animated character has now become the Hollywood must have!
I always feel bad for the celeb that makes the mistake of choosing one of the really cheesey animation companies that does something like Barbie meets her dream date. Ouch.
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3-18-2008 @ 12:53PM
Rufus said...
Considering he did Tomb Raider 2 and Dracula 2000, I think his career took an upswing with Beowulf & Grendal. 300 was great (not the first time I have said so), but that film he did with Hilary Swank... name? Obviously kept my attention so much so that if forgot the title...
...and now I have forgotten my original point. I think it had something to do with a colourful career so far and it not being surprising he's going to do an animated film.
(Oh, and no Stellan Skarsgard? Come on, a viking flick without him?)
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3-18-2008 @ 2:42PM
Elisabeth said...
He has had a very colorful career. I've been a fan of his since Tomb Raider 2 (major guilty pleasure of mine). After 300, it really did seem like he was going for pure action, what with that ESFNY remake. But he's back to his old tricks again and I'm glad.
It's funny though, I always thought oh wow, I'd love to see him to an Apatow comedy. And look who he ends up with -- hopefully they'll lead him down that path!
3-21-2008 @ 5:22PM
LadyOok said...
This sounds as if it is going to be fun. We have the book on audio and heard it during a long family car journey about three years ago. It is very funny and needs serious north country/scottish accents, which I cannot master myself so have never attempted to read it aloud. Just trying to get my head around the voice that declaimed "THIS IS SPARTA" bellowing at poor Hiccup instead has already reduced me to giggles.
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