As the live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2 has started filming this week, we just got a fantastic update about a new cast member joining the Isle of Berk. In the 2014 animated movie, you may remember the character of Eret, who fancies himself as the "finest dragon trapper alive." Well, one fan-favorite actor from Ted Lasso will apparently play him after Kit Harington originated the voice role.
That person is none other than Jamie Tartt (do-do-do-doo-doo) actor Phil Dunster, per THR.
The Ted Lasso star is an English actor who most famously played fictional football star Jamie Tartt on Ted Lasso for three seasons from 2020 to 2023.
In How To Train Your Dragon 2, he'll have the chance to play a notable character in the live-action remake who captures dragons and sells them to the movie's main villain, Drago Bludvist.
Not unlike Jamie Tartt, the character is a healthy combination of cocky and charming, making Dunster's casting pretty much perfect. As you may recall in the How to Train Your Dragon movies, Eret has quite the character arc in the second movie that carries into the third installment as well.
Since Phil Dunster is reportedly not going to be in Ted Lasso Season 4, due to scheduling conflicts, this is a great treat for fans to see the actor take on another big role in the vein of Jamie Tartt. Meanwhile, Ted Lasso is set to return this summer for those with an Apple TV subscription.
Now, How to Train Your Dragon 2 officially started filming just a couple of days ago. The director posted this to mark the occasion:
How To Train Your Dragon 2 comes from Dean DeBlois (who also made all the previous movies). The filmmaker previously told CinemaBlend he found adapting the sequel to be "kind of overwhelming" due to the fact that the storyline involves "masses of dragons" and a large "scale of battle".
Dunster is the third new cast member to join the How to Train Your Dragon 2 live-action movie. First, it was announced that Cate Blanchett would reprise her role of Hiccup's mom, Valka, after originating the role in animation. Then, we learned that Ólafur Darri Ólafsson will take on the role of Drago Bludvist. They should be joining Mason Thames' Hiccup, Nico Parker's Astrid and Gerard Butler's Stoick.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 already has a release date set for June 11, 2027, which has the movie between Star Wars: Starfighter, coming out on May 28, and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, hitting theaters on June 18. Keep following along with CinemaBlend as production continues on the new live-action movie.
