Gerard Butler says it would have been "weird" to see someone else play Stoick in How to Train Your Dragon

Indeed, director Dean DeBlois explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com that it was only when things moved around during the 2023 strikes that he became available to join the production.

Butler was delighted when the opportunity arose, and admitted to RadioTimes.com that he would have found it a little tricky to watch someone else take on the role he had previously voiced.

"Well, listen, I love this franchise no matter what's happening," he said. "I wished it the best... but I would have been sad to not have been Stoick, because I had always wondered.

"When you do the voice, you go, 'What would it be like to actually be this character? What would it be like to actually be in that world?' And then you go, 'Would I do it? Would I be terrible at it?'"

He added: "And then, when you are actually there, you go, 'OK, the proof's in the pudding.'

"But yeah, it would have been weird, I think, you know, kind of saying, 'Why'd he do it like that? I'd have said it like this.' Or, even worse, like, 'God, that's great. I would never thought of that!'"

Although Butler is the only cast member to star in both the animated and live-action versions of the story, there was also a familiar face behind the camera – with DeBlois having previously co-directed the original.

The filmmaker admitted that he had once been sceptical about the idea of a remake, but as soon as he knew it was going to happen he felt that he had to be the person at the helm.

"I think it's the first time, actually, that a studio has come to the original filmmaker and asked the question," he explained.

"I had actually gone on record saying I don't like this trend... coming from animation, it always felt like, why don't you put that money towards something new and original, instead of sort of piggybacking off of all of the effort that went into making an animated classic?

"But that said, when Universal was talking about kicking the tyres on this idea of a reimagining, then I said, well, I don't want to watch somebody else's version of it, to be honest!

"Like, hire me to do it, and I'll make sure that we keep the heart and soul intact and that we make a movie that's worthy to stand on its own and isn't intended to be a replacement of the animated movie, which I'm still very proud of."

He continued: "So it opened up a bunch of possibilities. We could delve into the folklore and the mythology and go deeper with the characters and the relationships and really lean into the immersive quality of the action with all of the tools of live action."

How to Train Your Dragon is now showing in UK cinemas.

If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.