The official trailer for The Dreadful hit YouTube on January 14, 2026, racking up views fast thanks to Sophie Turner and Kit Harington sharing intense kisses.
This reunion, seven years after Game of Thrones ended, carries weight, as the stars swap family ties for husband-wife roles in a grim 15th-century tale.
Trailer clips show Turner as Anne pleading for her husband’s return, only for Harington’s battle-scarred Jago to stir up passion and peril alongside Marcia Gay Harden’s controlling Morwen. Social platforms lit up with “Jonsa” shippers celebrating and purists calling it odd, proving the clip taps deep into fandom nerves.
Director Natasha Kermani crafts a gothic atmosphere with foggy moors, bloody thefts, and a lurking knight curse, echoing the Wars of the Roses chaos that birthed Westeros lore.
Early buzz positions the film as a bloody nod to 1964’s Onibaba, blending survival grit with supernatural chills. Release hits theaters and digital February 20, 2026, via Lionsgate, setting up a box office test for post-Thrones star power.
Behind-the-Scenes Gags and Grit
Turner handpicked Harington for Jago after grabbing the script, texting him despite the awkward love scenes ahead. On Late Night with Seth Meyers last August, she admitted they both retched during their first on-set kiss, dubbing it the nadir of her career for its sheer discomfort.
Harington quipped back that standing on an apple box helped reach her height, but their old friendship eased the weirdness once the cameras rolled.
Game of Thrones (Credit: HBO)
Production wrapped post in early 2025, shot in Cornwall’s rugged spots to nail medieval isolation. Harden joins as the domineering mother-in-law, adding Oscar heft to a cast rounding out with Laurence O’Fuarain and Jonathan Howard.
Kermani, fresh off the V/H/S/85 segments, leans into historical horror without shying from raw poverty and sin warnings. The trailer’s beach tension and forest stares hint at emotional fractures fueling the curse.
Actors pushed boundaries for realism, turning sibling history into a strength for uneasy intimacy. Harington told E! News the set felt like a family reunion, reigniting bonds from eight Thrones seasons. Such candor fuels hype, showing commitment to a script too strong to ditch over personal ick.
Horror Buzz Meets Thrones Legacy
Online reactions split between gorehounds praising visuals and skeptics eyeing low-budget vibes. Reddit horror threads call out strong cinematography and costumes, while some dismiss it as TV-level.
YouTube cheers the gritty thriller fit, with GoT nostalgia amplifying shares. Critics note parallels to Thrones’ medieval politics, positioning The Dreadful as a timely scare fest.
Fan outcry mixes disgust with delight, some fulfillment for fringe ships, and others’ loyalty to canon. Trailer success mirrors how reunions like this revive careers, akin to other ex-costar projects banking on shared fame. At 1,000 words strong in fan engagement already, it proves sibling-to-spouses pivot packs a punch.
The February drop could mark a horror breakout for both, blending personal rapport with genre edge. Expect more promo tales of on-set laughs amid screams. Lionsgate banks on the viral kiss to draw crowds beyond diehards. This bold swing redefines their screen bond, curse and all.
Cate Blanchett steps into live-action as Valka, the fierce dragon guardian and Hiccup’s hidden mom from the animated How to Train Your Dragon 2 . She voiced the role first in the 2014 cartoon and again in the 2019 finale, marking her rare return across formats.
Now, with the first live-action film pulling in over $636 million last year, Universal locks her in for the June 11, 2027, release.
Fans buzz online about seeing Blanchett’s commanding presence match her voice work, especially next to Gerard Butler’s Stoick.
Butler already bridged animation to live-action as the booming Viking chief in the 2025 remake, setting up family drama that defined the sequel’s heart. Director Dean DeBlois, who helmed the original trilogy and the reboot, guides this blend of old and new.
The move nods to the franchise’s roots while testing how a two-time Oscar winner adapts to CGI dragons and Viking gear. Production ramps up under Marc Platt, aiming to capture the sequel’s themes of leadership and hidden worlds.
Blanchett, fresh off Black Bag and Venice winner Father Mother Sister Brother, picks projects blending action with depth.
Valka emerges mid-story as a wild protector, revealing Hiccup’s lineage and rallying dragons against invasion. Live-action lets Blanchett wield axes and ride beasts in practical sequences DeBlois plans to amp up.
Young Riders Gear Up for Sequel Stakes
Mason Thames slips back into Hiccup’s prosthetics as the inventive teen turned chief, joined by Nico Parker as Astrid and the full rider crew.
Julian Dennison returns as dragon expert Fishlegs, while Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn handle Snotlout and the chaotic twins. This keeps the 2025 chemistry alive after the group’s breakout success.
The story picks up post-first film, thrusting Hiccup into adult choices amid dragon threats, much like the 2014 animated plot.
How to Train Your Dragon (Credit: Jio Hotstar)
New faces like Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as villain Drago add menace, recasting from Djimon Hounsou’s animated force. Kit Harington could surface as Trapper Eret, fueling speculation on more voice-to-live crossovers.
Young cast members draw from their first outing’s intensity, where Thames praised Butler’s set-dominating energy. DeBlois tweaks script details for live-action flair, promising grounded aerial fights and emotional beats. He scripts now, eyeing changes to fix animated regrets like rushed arcs.
Thames honed Hiccup’s vulnerability through hours in makeup, bonding with Toothless via motion capture. Parker brings Astrid’s fire with stunt training, prepping for expanded rider battles. Dennison dives deeper into Fishlegs’ lore, consulting original designs for accuracy.
Fan Hype Meets Franchise Future
Social media explodes with clips of Blanchett’s animated clips side-by-side with imagined live looks, amplifying sequel fever. Reddit threads praise the first film’s visuals and score, with users hooked despite tweaks from the source. One fan tears up recalling Dragon 2’s balance of laughs and loss, eager for live-action punch.
Original Hiccup voice Jay Baruchel cheers the cast, urging them to savor the dragon bond he cherished. His nod highlights how the remake honors the $1.6 billion animated trilogy’s legacy. Forums debate Drago’s recast, but Blanchett’s stay eases fears of a full overhaul.
Box office wins from the reboot, greenlit pre-release at CinemaCon, signal studio confidence in more entries. A strong sequel could spawn a live-action Hidden World, tempting returns like F. Murray Abraham’s Grimmel. DeBlois’s eyes fix on past regrets, like deeper character arcs, in this real-world Viking realm.
DeBlois tackles wingsuit flights and horde effects, blending practical dragons with CGI for scarier stakes. The crew scouts Iceland for Berk’s rugged cliffs, mirroring animated majesty. Platt and Siegel push family themes amid conquest threats, drawing on Cressida Cowell’s books.
Blanchett’s commitment quiets remake skeptics, proving stars embrace the shift to practical effects and motion capture. With pre-production humming, Berk’s skies prep for clashes that test rider unity against conquest plots.
The blend of returning talents and youthful energy positions this as the saga’s bold next chapter, ready to hook a new generation while rewarding loyalists. Valka’s reveal promises tears and thrills, as Hiccup unites clans in dragon skies forever changed.
