Severance Star Ólafur Darri Ólafsson Lands Villain Role in How to Train Your Dragon 2

Universal is moving full steam ahead with its live-action How to Train Your Dragon 2, and, honestly, the casting news just keeps getting more interesting. If you're wondering whether the sequel is playing it safe or swinging for the fences, well… it's looking like the latter.

The Big Casting Moves

A couple of major names are now locked in:

• Cate Blanchett is back as Valka, the Viking warrior. She voiced the character in the animation, so this is one of those rare cases where they're keeping the same actor across formats.
• Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Severance) is on board to play the big bad: Drago Bludvist.
• Other cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, and Harry Trevaldwyn are also in the mix. So, yeah, they're not messing around when it comes to ensemble.

Wait — Who Exactly Is Drago Bludvist?

If you only watched the first movie, you might not remember this guy. Drago Bludvist is, to put it bluntly, a megalomaniac Viking warlord and the top villain from the animated sequel — based on the Cressida Cowell book series, for those of you keeping score.

He’s all about using sheer force (and a mind-controlled Bewilderbeast dragon, because why not?) to round up an army of dragons. Charismatic enough to turn tribal chiefs into loyal followers, but villainous enough to have killed Hiccup’s dad, Stoick the Vast — not a subtle baddie, this one. Djimon Hounsou voiced him in the animated film, if you’re making mental connections.

Behind the Scenes: Sometimes Consistency Actually Happens

Dean DeBlois, co-creator and director of the animated trilogy, is back at the wheel for this one. Normally these live-action updates get passed off to somebody new with no memory of the old magic — so the return of DeBlois is, honestly, a good sign. His first Dragon remake pulled in $636 million globally and got both critics and fans saying nice things, so apparently no one’s looking to mess with that formula.

The Story They're Reimagining

If you need a refresher: The original How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) pushed the story into slightly darker waters — Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave full of wild dragons and cross paths with a mysterious Dragon Rider (hint: Blanchett’s Valka). Of course, Drago Bludvist launches an all-out battle for control, so the whole peace-between-dragons-and-humans thing is at serious risk.

Or, as the logline would have it: Hiccup and Toothless end up at the center of a fight that could completely change their world. Action, heartbreak, lots of dragon CGI — you know the drill.

Blanchett's Take on Coming Back (Because Sometimes the Quote Says It All)

'Valka is such a fascinating character, and it’s rare to revisit a role like this across both animation and live action.'

Translation: she’s genuinely excited (or at least, very good at playing excited in press releases), so fans of the character can probably relax.

This one’s shaping up to be more than just another cash-in remake. Whether it soars or crashes… well, by now, you know I’ll tell you straight.