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Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
New cast and director of latest Jurassic World sequel excited to be part of the ride
Actors Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend and Mahershala Ali attend the \"Jurassic World Rebirth\" global premiere in London, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso New cast and director of latest Jurassic World sequel excited to be part of the ride LONDON - Scarlett Johansson's role in Jurassic World Rebirth made her recall her earliest memories of the dinosaur film franchise. The American actress recalled seeing the first Jurassic Park film in 1993 at the movie theatre when she was 10 years old. 'It imprinted on me very deeply,' the 40-year-old star said at the standalone sequel's London premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. The movie opens in Singapore cinemas on July 2. 'For the next three decades, I was like, I would have done anything to be in a Jurassic movie in any capacity,' she added. The franchise, created by American author Michael Crichton, has spawned several films, merchandising deals and video games. Jurassic World Rebirth, directed by British film-maker Gareth Edwards, follows a team of specialists that embarks on an expedition to a forbidden island, home to a research facility for the original Jurassic Park. Scarlett Johansson as skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett in Jurassic World Rebirth, directed by Gareth Edwards. PHOTO: UIP Some of the specialists include characters played by Johansson and British actors Jonathan Bailey and Rupert Friend, who must obtain DNA samples from three dinosaurs to achieve a life-saving medical breakthrough. For Friend, 43, this instalment in the franchise is exhilarating. 'I love adventure. I love being taken on a ride where you don't know what's going to happen. I love the unknown. I love risk,' he said. For well-known science fiction director Edwards (Godzilla, 2014; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 2016), the pressure for Jurassic World Rebirth to succeed did not hit until he arrived at the premiere. 'It's all front and centre here. It feels a bit weird, to be honest. I can't quite get my head around it,' the 49-year-old added. REUTERS Jurassic World Rebirth opens in Singapore cinemas on July 2. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Primary Health Centres can be approached for hepatitis B vaccine, says TN govt
With a number of private hospitals continuing to face a shortage of Hepatitis B vaccines, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has said that the nearest Primary Health Centre (PHC) can be approached for vaccinating children against hepatitis B as per Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) schedule. Several private hospitals across the State have been facing short supply of hepatitis B vaccines especially for vaccinating their healthcare workers and patients such as those on dialysis. A private hospital in Chennai that administers both pentavalent and hexavalent vaccines containing hepatitis B under UIP currently has adequate stock. The Health department said that there was no shortage of the vaccine in government hospitals. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian recently said that the State had a stock of 6,21,320 doses of the vaccine at present. This was adequate to meet the requirements for 8.5 months. Similarly, 5,52,100 pentavalent vaccines were also available to take care of the needs for the next 2.5 months. T. S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health, reiterated that nearby PHCs can be approached for vaccinating children as per UIP schedule. A doctor, who has been closely following the hepatitis B vaccine situation, said that Hepatitis B vaccination in adults is always challenging. It was being implemented by covering key populations who have been screened and found as hepatitis negative before vaccination, he said. Open Vial Policy for hepatitis B vaccine to prevent wastage is one of the main challenges. This allows usage of an open vial for up to 28 days. 'The vaccine is administered to the targeted groups (among adults) after hepatitis B testing. In fact, the test kits are also in short supply' he said.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
The big list of the most anticipated films for the rest of 2025
(Clockwise from top left) Superman, Fantastic Four, Avatar and Wicked. PHOTOS: 2025 WBEI, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY, UIP 2025 movie guide: The best of the rest of the year SINGAPORE – Ne Zha 2, A Minecraft Movie and Lilo & Stitch are the top three highest-grossing movies of 2025 so far, but there is still plenty of time for a fresh slate of titles to catch up at the box office. From June to December, expect plenty of strong contenders that have something for everyone, from tentpole blockbusters and franchise sequels to noteworthy indie and Asian offerings. Adapted from the globally popular webtoon of the same title, South Korean action-fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy (July 31) deals with Kim Dokja (Ahn Hyo-seop), an ordinary office worker who enters a world in which the events of his favourite web novel, set in an apocalypse, have come to pass. It also stars Jisoo from K-pop girl group Blackpink as Jihye, a member of Kim's group of survivors. Jisoo as Lee Jihye in the action-fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy. PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE Another Asian title with star appeal is the action-crime thriller The Shadow's Edge (Aug 8), featuring two greats of Chinese cinema, Jackie Chan and Tony Leung Ka Fai. Fans are cheering the action-filled, darker tone of the trailer, signalling Chan's return to the hardcore police drama genre. He plays a retired surveillance expert called back to service to hunt an old nemesis, Leung's master criminal. Jackie Chan in the crime drama The Shadow's Edge. PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION Third time could be the charm for the Downton Abbey (2019 to 2025) and Now You See Me (2013 to present) film series. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (Sept 11) marks the final chapter of the historical drama based on characters created by English screenwriter Julian Fellowes for the TV series of the same name (2010 to 2015). The sequel to Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) finds returning characters Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) and others from the aristocratic family dealing with the challenges of a turbulent new decade: the 1930s. (From third left) Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith, Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie Hexham, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Grantham, Hugh Bonneville as Robert Grantham and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. PHOTO: UIP The latest instalment of the popular heist franchise, Now You See Me: Now You Don't (Nov 13), sees the return of the Four Horsemen group of illusionist-thieves (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher). This time, the team risks it all to steal a diamond owned by a crime syndicate run by the ruthless matriarch Veronika (Rosamund Pike). (From left) Justice Smith as Charlie, Ariana Greenblatt as June, Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves and Dave Franco as Jack Wilder in Now You See Me: Now You Don't. PHOTO: ENCORE FILMS When it comes to streaming services, Netflix's line-up leads the pack. Frankenstein, Oscar-winning Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro's take on Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel of the same name, premieres in November. Oscar Isaac will take the title role of the scientist hoping to resurrect the dead while Jacob Elordi will play the monster in a movie that del Toro has been shaping for close to 30 years. Oscar Isaac in Gothic science-fiction horror Frankenstein. PHOTO: NETFLIX Also on Netflix at year's end will be Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Dec 12), the third instalment of the Agatha Christie-inspired whodunnit franchise, after Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022). English actor Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, the urbane private detective with the mellifluous Southern accent. This time, he is called upon to investigate a murder set among members of the Catholic Church, if the number of characters who are members of the clergy is anything to go by. Josh O'Connor and Josh Brolin play priests . (From left) Josh O'Connor and Daniel Craig in the mystery film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. PHOTO: NETFLIX If you are buzzing only about the biggies, here is what you need to know about the 10 most anticipated major releases in the second half of the year. 28 Years Later (June 19) Aaron Taylor-Johnson (left) and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later. PHOTO: SONY PICTURES This horror franchise sets itself apart from others through its chilling realism. Getting hit by a droplet of contaminated blood means infection; no bite necessary. Safe zones are breached not by zombie armies, but by careless residents. The shocks are grounded in scarily plausible events, borne out by the global pandemic events of 2020 to 2023. Director Danny Boyle has argued that the original movie, 2002's 28 Days Later, and its 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later were never zombie movies, despite the films sparking a revival of movies in that genre. Rather, they are horror films about sickness and infection. Whatever he believes, the third movie, 28 Years Later, is eagerly awaited, especially as it marks the return of the original creators, Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland. Set in a post-apocalyptic landscape dotted by highly protected islands of the uninfected, it stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes as survivors. The film is the first of a new series set in the same virus-ridden world. The second entry, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, is due on Jan 15. A third film by Boyle is in the works. F1 The Movie (June 26) Brad Pitt is race driver Sonny Hayes in the sports drama F1 The Movie. PHOTO: 2025 WBEI This movie takes the honour of being the lone original property on this list, more proof that Hollywood has retreated to franchises and sequels in 2025. Director Joseph Kosinski has argued that his naval aviator drama Top Gun: Maverick (2022) was never about fast planes but about the pilots. In the sports drama F1 The Movie, set in the world of competitive racing, he has said the same. Kosinski appears to be re-applying the Top Gun story template: In an arena in which the best of the best compete, an older man is called into action and becomes a mentor to a younger one. Brad Pitt is Sonny Hayes, a veteran who comes out of retirement to mentor the up-and-coming Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). For extra realism, Pitt and Idris trained to hit top speeds of over 280kmh in a camera-studded car, placing viewers in the heart of the action, with scenes filmed at real F1 racing circuits such as Japan's Suzuka International Racing Course and Italy's Monza Circuit. As it is an original movie, it is low on the anticipation list. But Kosinski's ability to meld character-driven emotion with action could give F1 The Movie good word of mouth after its release. Jurassic World Rebirth (July 2) (From left) Luna Blaise and the T-Rex in Jurassic World Rebirth. PHOTO: UIP We know. The previous film in the franchise, Jurassic World Dominion (2022), was a mess, earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of the series (26 per cent), with waning box-office figures greeting each release. Its maker, Universal Pictures, hopes to claw back the audience goodwill lost over the years. Director Gareth Edwards is new to the franchise and helmed the well-received prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), as well as another film about scaly monsters, Godzilla (2014), which was a hit. Also, it is goodbye to Chris Pratt's Owen Grady, a figure whose bro energy not everyone liked. An all-new cast headed by Scarlett Johansson, backed by Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, is in charge. The story marks a return to the franchise's roots: surviving an island of horrors. Humans live in a dinosaur-free world, with the reptiles' territory reduced to small tropical sites. Special operative Zora Bennett (Johansson), led by team leader Duncan Kincaid (Ali) and aided by palaeontologist Henry Loomis (Bailey), is to sneak onto a dinosaur island to retrieve biological samples that hold the key to a revolutionary new drug. The big bad here is the Distortus rex, a mutated Tyrannosaurus rex with six limbs. Superman (July 10) (From left) Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman in the superhero reboot Superman. PHOTO: 2025 WBEI Based on trailer views and other metrics, this could be the most anticipated flick of them all. As with Jurassic World Rebirth, 2025's Superman hopes to fight franchise fatigue with an overhaul. This rebooted superhero origin story comes loaded with a new actor as the hero (David Corenswet), new director (James Gunn) and a brighter tone that contrasts with previous helmer Zack Snyder's grimmer, greyer take. Clark Kent (Corenswet) is a naive young man from rural America, new to the intensity of both Metropolis city and his employer, the newspaper The Daily Planet, where he meets hotshot reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Despite being labelled naive and unrealistic, Kent/Superman stays true to the values he picked up at home in Smallville, Kansas. His belief that kindness must prevail over shades of grey is what drives the story, says Gunn (Guardians Of The Galaxy, 2014 to 2023; The Suicide Squad, 2021), writer-director and chief executive of DC Studios. The movie introduces characters who will loom large in future chapters of the rebooted franchise, including villainous mastermind Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and the superheroes Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 24) (From left) Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY The third Marvel movie releasing in 2025, after Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, could be the one Marvel fans are looking forward to most. This fresh do-over comes after three previous attempts (Fantastic Four, 2005; Rise Of The Silver Surfer, 2007; and the reboot that tanked at the box office, 2015's Fantastic Four). What is new here is that the beloved characters, known as Marvel's First Family, will exist alongside other superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), opening the door to collaborations. The 1960s setting – on a version of Earth with advanced technology – is interesting too. The new cast is also stacked with talent: Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. As the superhero team, they must prevent Earth from being consumed by the cosmic being Galactus, whose arrival is announced by his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Director Matt Shakman won praise from critics for directing all nine episodes of the WandaVision (2021) Marvel miniseries for Disney+, after having worked on episodes of shows like the fantasy hit Game Of Thrones (2011 to 2019). Tron: Ares (Oct 9) A scene from Tron: Ares. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY Tron: Ares comes 15 years after the previous film, Tron: Legacy (2010), which itself came 28 years after the original film Tron (1982). Will anyone care or even remember? This standalone sequel's release being scheduled for the latter part of the year, after the crowded summer blockbuster season, indicates that Walt Disney Pictures does not hold high hopes for it. However, trailer views and other online trends indicate that Tron: Ares has a fan base willing to turn out in numbers strong enough to give it a good chance of success at the box office. Predator: Badlands (Nov 6) Thia (Elle Fanning) in Predator: Badlands. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY Director Dan Trachtenberg revived the Predator franchise with Prey (2022), the story of an 18th-century Comanche woman's fight for survival against a technologically advanced alien foe. This time, the action will move from Earth to the future, on a planet far away. Also, this is the first film with a Predator as its primary focus, rather than a human. Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is a young Yautja – the race of hunters known on Earth as Predators – who has been cast out because he lacks the aggression and strength his race admires. He and the android Thia (Elle Fanning) must beat the odds on a dangerous planet to not just survive, but also reclaim his honour. Wicked: For Good (Nov 20) (From left) Ariana Grande is Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in Wicked: For Good. PHOTO: UIP The second part of the film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical will conclude the story of the misunderstood Elphaba and the popular Glinda, played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande respectively. While Wicked: For Good lacks the broad appeal of superhero and action films like Superman, Fantastic Four: First Steps or Avatar: Fire And Ash, its healthy trailer views still point to strong interest among those waiting to see the outcomes for both characters, now labelled the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good following the events of Wicked (2024). Fans of the musical have responded well to director Jon M. Chu's lavish sets, costumes and fidelity to the music, and are likely to shower as much love on the next chapter as they did the first. Zootopia 2 (Nov 27) Zootopia 2 marks the return of rookie cops Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin). PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY The return of the brave, cheerful rabbit detective Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and her cop colleague, the sly fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), is a long time coming, making it the only animated movie to crack The Straits Times' top 10 list. In this sequel to Zootopia (2016), winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2017, a new villain appears. Gary De'Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) is causing chaos in the mammal republic of Zootopia and the two officers are assigned to the case. The first movie won critical acclaim for addressing issues of racial and cultural bias and stereotyping while keeping the tone light and family-friendly, at the same time making over US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) at the global box office. Avatar: Fire And Ash (Dec 18) Zoe Saldana as Neytiri in Avatar: Fire And Ash. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY The Avatar movies (Avatar, 2009; Avatar: The Way Of Water, 2022) continue to be outliers, releasing at the end of the year even though blockbusters traditionally head to cinemas from June to September. Director James Cameron has said he likes the December dates because of reduced competition from other films, but it should be said that his Avatar movies will be box-office smashes no matter when they come out. The science-fiction saga of soldier-turned-rebel Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his partner and fellow warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) has been hugely successful , putting this film in the top three alongside Superman and Fantastic Four . In Fire And Ash, the couple and their children explore the planet of Pandora, discovering the Ash People, a civilisation that lives near volcanoes. This film will be followed by the fourth and fifth chapters, to be released in 2029 and 2031. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Geek Culture
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Jurassic World Rebirth' Fan Premiere Screening – Win Tickets To Geek Culture Event
Life finds a way, and so does Geek Culture. To celebrate the return of dinosaurs to the big screen, Geek Culture is inviting fans to a special Jurassic World Rebirth fan premiere screening. Together with UIP Singapore, we will be giving away 100 pairs of tickets to 100 lucky fans. This is your chance to experience the movie ahead of its official release, surrounded by fellow fans, with surprises waiting both on and off the screen. Set five years after Jurassic World Dominion , the latest chapter trades chaos for something more calculated and contained, but no less dangerous. Earth's ecosystem has rejected dinosaurs as permanent residents. Most survivors now dwell in remote, tropical zones far removed from civilisation. Years of failed experiments have bred horrors like the Distortus rex , a grotesque, six-limbed mutation of the original T. rex. It's part dinosaur, part nightmare, and it doesn't appreciate visitors. Enter Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow ), a covert operative pulled into a high-stakes mission on behalf of a mysterious pharmaceutical giant. She's teamed with paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey, Wicked ) and ex-military leader Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali, Moonlight ) for a mission straight out of a survivalist's worst nightmare. Their goal? Travel to a prohibited island in the Atlantic, the same one that once hosted the original Jurassic Park, and retrieve DNA samples from three of the largest remaining prehistoric species across land, sea, and sky. FAN PREMIERE SCREENING DETAILS Date: 1 July, Tuesday Time: 6:45 pm Location: GV VivoCity Hall 4 (Assigned Seating)
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Inside Universal's big bet on How To Train Your Dragon, its first foray into live-action adaptations
Mason Thames as Hiccup with Toothless the dragon in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP Inside Universal's big bet on How To Train Your Dragon, its first foray into live-action adaptations NEW YORK – In 2020, Dean DeBlois publicly blasted live-action remakes of animated films as 'lazy' studio endeavours. The Canadian writer-director had, along with American film-maker Chris Sanders, made the 2002 Disney animated Lilo & Stitch and the 2010 DreamWorks Animation release How To Train Your Dragon. DeBlois said he viewed such remakes as 'a missed opportunity to put something original into the world'. Then, two years later, he received a call from Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer asking if he would be interested in directing a live-action version of How To Train Your Dragon. 'At the expense of seeming like a hypocrite, I thought, well, I'm either going to sit here and pout and watch somebody else do it,' the 55-year-old said in a video interview, 'or I could jump in and shoulder the blame or help to change the narrative.' With the reboot – which is showing in Singapore cinemas – earning over US$197 million (S$252 million) worldwide, DeBlois is enthusiastically attached to the type of movie he formerly criticised. Director Dean DeBlois (left) and actor Gerard Butler at the premiere for How To Train Your Dragon in Los Angeles on June 7. PHOTO: REUTERS A lot could have gone wrong. He had never made a live-action feature before Universal put him in charge of the US$150 million remake, and the genre as a whole is facing increased scepticism from audiences and studios alike. Yet, so pleased were the Universal executives after seeing a cut of the new Dragon, Mr Cramer said, that they rushed to greenlight a live-action adaptation of How To Train Your Dragon 2, to be directed and written by DeBlois and released in theatres in 2027. How To Train Your Dragon – a retelling of the story of Hiccup, a pacifist Viking teenager who forms a bond with a once-feared dragon named Toothless on the Isle of Berk – represents the studio's first foray into live-action adaptations of animated films. Executives chose this property over Shrek (2001 to present) or Despicable Me (2010 to present) because of 'the human and creature drama at the centre of it', Mr Cramer said. Surprisingly, the original Dragon was only the fifth most popular animated film of 2010, trailing Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After, Tangled and Despicable Me. But in the years since, the Dragon franchise – including two sequels in 2014 and 2019, which DeBlois wrote and directed – has found a large and devoted following. The animated trilogy drew a combined US$1.65 billion at the global box office, and there have been three television spin-off series. At Epic Universe, Universal's new ly opened theme park in Orlando, Florida, there is an entire Isle of Berk land with rides, a live stage show, dragon meet-and-greets and 'Viking-ish' food. Here is how the new movie took flight. Widening the audience When DeBlois worked on the animated How To Train Your Dragon, he recalled Jeffrey Katzenberg, the DreamWorks Animation chief at the time, frequently reminding him: 'Don't forget the five-year-olds' in the audience. That was not the case this time. Universal, whose parent company acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016, was adamant that the new film cater not only to young viewers, but also to adults who had grown up with the original and those who had never heard of it. 'They were saying, 'Embrace the fact that this is an all-audience movie. We want teenagers. We want people in their 20s,'' DeBlois said. 'We were encouraged to think bigger.' So, while still aiming for a PG rating, the crew built large-scale practical sets at Titanic Studios in Belfast, North Ireland, including a 360-degree Viking training arena, to shoot immersive action sequences. English composer John Powell returned to make his sweeping score even more epic. And for those aerial shots and roller-coaster-esque flying sequences, the film-makers took a helicopter over Iceland, the Isle of Skye and the Faeroe Islands to capture expansive footage, including of the craggly islet Tindholmur, which served as the basis for their fictional Berk. Assembling the Vikings Hiccup (Mason Thames, left) and Astrid (Nico Parker, right) in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP To embody the endearingly awkward Hiccup (originally voiced by Canadian actor Jay Baruchel), the film-makers cast Mason Thames, a Texas native who had starred in the Universal horror film The Black Phone (2021). For Astrid, an ambitious Viking girl and Hiccup's love interest, they selected biracial British actress Nico Parker, who had her big break in Disney's 2019 live-action Dumbo remake. Both 17-year-old Thames and 20-year-old Parker grew up as passionate fans of the animated Dragon trilogy. Thames once dressed as Hiccup for Halloween, and Parker – daughter of British actress Thandiwe Newton and British director-screenwriter Ol Parker – recalled going to see the original in theatres with her family four times. When the cast was announced, however, some fans expressed outrage that Astrid would no longer be blonde and blue-eyed, as she had been portrayed in the animated films (though she was voiced by American actress America Ferrera, whose parents are from Honduras). 'It's one thing if people just love the animated movies, and their version of a perfect live-action is a play-by-play with people who look exactly the same,' Parker said. 'But when it comes from a place of real hate towards any kind of inclusivity, it's not an opinion that keeps me up at night.' In a rare move, Universal brought back Gerard Butler, who originally voiced Hiccup's dad, Stoick the Vast, to reprise his role as the imposing chief of Berk. Gerard Butler (left) and Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP The actor 's work on the original had involved simply saying his lines in a recording booth. This time, he spent hours each day getting a bushy chest-length beard applied before suiting up in 3D-printed armour with ancillary weapons. 'It was incredibly heavy,' the 55-year-old Scotsman said of the wardrobe. 'The first time I put it on, I panicked that this whole movie was going to crash because Gerry Butler couldn't handle the 90-pound (40kg) costume.' Unleashing the dragons Before Thames arrived on set in Belfast, he fretted that 'it was just going to be a bunch of blue screens and a tennis ball as Toothless', he said. Instead, the actors often performed opposite giant foam dragon heads and operational puppet bodies. T hen, t o help digitally transform the dragons into believably menacing beasts, DeBlois turned to animation supervisor Glen McIntosh, an expert in paleontology who had animated dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park (1993 to 2001) and Jurassic World (2015 to present) franchises. 'Dean wanted the dragons to have the feeling that they were evolved animals, not creatures of fantasy,' McIntosh said. 'So, even though they are creatures of fantasy, they had to look like they weren't just cobbled together.' Each dragon breed is, therefore, grounded in specific real-life animal traits. A Deadly Nadder like Stormfly, for instance, is influenced by the winged arms of a bat, the head of a parrot, and the legs and talons of a golden eagle. Hiccup (Mason Thames) and the dragon Hideous Zippleback in How To Train Your Dragon. PHOTO: UIP And then there is Toothless. Unlike the fearsome menagerie that surrounds him, Toothless – a Night Fury with traits of a black panther and a salamander – needed to retain an extra layer of cuteness and relatability, while still looking as if he belonged in the same world as the others. The animators spent 2½ years updating their hero creature. Toothless' more cartoonish expressions, like raised eyebrows, were swopped out for head tilts or tail swishes that mimic those of a curious dog or cat. As they added intricacies like textured scales, McIntosh said, their guiding mandate was always, 'Is this something you would still want to pet?' Looking ahead DeBlois had considered opening the film with a new flashback from Stoick's point of view. But the final cut faithfully follows its animated predecessor, including three shot-for-shot scenes. Still, there are some subtle surprises, as when Astrid voices her desire to be chief of Berk one day, something that was never expressed in the animated version. It is a line that leaves open the possibility of future plot deviations. 'There's an opportunity going forward to maybe colour outside of the lines a little bit more,' DeBlois said. In May, the director was still drafting the Dragon sequel script, and he said there had not been any discussions about a third live-action film. Mr Cramer also could not 'definitively answer' if Universal would complete the trilogy. 'We do have ambitions and hopes,' the studio head said. 'But, you know, one movie at a time.' NYTIMES How To Train Your Dragon is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
