British actor Kit Harington arrives at the premiere of "How To Train Your Dragon 2" in Los Angeles, California, June 8, 2014. (Photo : YouTube/Gus Ruelas )
It seems like schedules are pouring up for animated movies, as another title gets bumped from its original release date. The release date for "How to Train Your Dragon 3" has been pushed back a year from its initial schedule, reports confirm.
DreamWorks Animations announced on Monday that "How to Train Your Dragon 3" will premiere in theaters on March 1, 2019, nearly a year after its initial schedule for release, Variety reported. The movie was supposed to come out on May 18, 2018, which would have put it a week ahead of the "Han Solo" standalone movie. This is the third delay for the film, as its earliest target date was set for the summer of 2016.
Director Dean DeBlois, who also worked on the first two "How to Train Your Dragon" films, will return for the third time to the franchise. DeBlois also previously revealed that he was working on the script.
"How to Train Your Dragon 3" will be the "culmination of Hiccup's coming of age." In an interview with Collider, DeBlois revealed that Hiccup and Toothless will be leaders in their respective tribes. Conflict will rise between the best friends as both of them try to do what's best for their kind. Essentially, the story goes back to where Cressida Cowell's books began, wherein Hiccup is already an adult and he reflects on the time where dragons lived with them. This perhaps suggests that Toothless and the other dragons will go away as time passes.
With that said, "How to Train Your Dragon 3" is expected to be the last installment in the franchise and that a fourth film will be highly unlikely.
"How to Train Your Dragon" has been a largely successful franchise for DreamWorks Animation. The second film picked up $621.5 million in the box office and has a 92 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movies feature the vocal talents of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig and Craig Ferguson, to name a few.
Catch "How to Train Your Dragon 3" when it premieres in theaters on May 18, 2018.
