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The beloved tale of Vikings and dragons returns in live-action form as Universal Pictures prepares to release How to Train Your Dragon (2025) on digital streaming platforms. According to multiple sources, the film is expected to arrive on VOD and digital platforms mid-july —just a month after its theatrical debut on June 13. While Universal has not officially confirmed the release date, it aligns with their recent digital release strategies.

What is How to Train Your Dragon (2025) About?

Written, directed, and co-produced by Dean DeBlois, the live-action remake is a faithful adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s 2010 classic, itself based on the bestselling book series by Cressida Cowell. This shot-for-shot retelling preserves the magic and emotional depth of the original while bringing the mythical island of Berk to life in a more grounded, cinematic form.

Set in a Viking world where humans and dragons are sworn enemies, the story follows Hiccup—a misfit...

“Shakespeare in Love” star Simon Callow has joined the cast of indie heist movie “The Pay Day,” Variety can reveal.

Callow, who has also appeared in fare as varied as “The Witcher,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” will play an “eccentric crime boss” in the caper. He was most recently seen in “Hawkeye” on Disney Plus as Armand III.

Marking the feature film debut for Sam Bradford (“The Few”), the film tells the story of a down-on-her-luck It technician played by Kyla Frye (“Edge of Tomorrow”) who is tapped by crime boss Callow to steal millions of dollars’ worth of data in a sophisticated hack. The plan goes awry when she is thwarted by con artist Sam Benjamin (“The War of the Worlds”).

Joining Callow are Ellen Thomas, Vincent Jerome, Marcus Onilude, Rae Lim, Farrel Jo Hegarty, Miles Mitchell, Kara-Dee Rai, Jacob Anderton, Frankie Clarence and Dominic Ryan.

"Who do you think you are, some kind of animal?" Saban Films has debuted the official Us trailer for an indie crime drama titled Villain, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Philip Barantini. The story follows a former criminal just released from prison and his attempts to help his family by reconnecting with his daughter and clearing his brother's debt. Despite his efforts, he is drawn back into a criminal way of life, with devastating consequences. As as always when criminals get out, try to stay away from crime, then get sucked back in for "one more job" to settle the score that still ruins everything. Craig Fairbrass (from "EastEnders") stars, along with a big cast including George Russo, Izuka Hoyle, Mark Monero, Tomi May, Eloise Lovell Anderson, Taz Skylar, Nicholas Aaron, Michael John Treanor, Marcus Onilude, Robert Glenister. This looks pretty forgettable and repetitive, there's not much you're...

The docuspoof/mockumentary format feels curiously old-fashioned suddenly. It’s the perfect approach to take with BBC4′s Twenty Twelve, which charts the efforts of an inept Olympic Deliverance Commission to promote London 2012, but there was something too safe and cozy about the whole endeavour. Almost like it’s a part of the Olympic marketing and, with a future cameo from Lord Sebastian Coe himself, that’s probably half-true. So, rather than deliver a scabrous and insightful criticism of the Olympic Games, Twenty Twelve is just a quietly mocking series that elicits the odd giggle.

“Matthew Pinsent? I don’t even know who that is.” — Siobhan

It’s a shame, because the performances and a good portion of the dialogue are very strong, and the show itself had an engaging momentum to it. Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) gets to flex his comic muscles as formidable team leader Ian Fletcher, with...