I think enough time and pages have passed in the other thread that we can start a fresh one specifically for news on the upcoming sequel and spinoff series. And boy do I have some news for you.
Your friendly PP newshound was able to get track down this interview with Tim Johnson, one of the producers, on YouTube by an outfit known as badtaste.it
With a little digging I was able to find the original article(in Italian, use Google Translator) as well as a report by /film.
Here’s what he has to say about the sequel:
As for the television series:
A lot of Dreamworks tidbits slipped out during this interview, including a mention of that one guy I go on about. You know the one I mean. But I hope I haven’t violated any rules by opening this new thread and I hoped you’re as pumped about this new stuff as I am. Even if it’s just a little bit of stuff.
I was all upset and mad about the TV series until I read this.
But… omg… there’s actually rays of hope emanating out of DreamWorks… 8’D
Okay, I’m officially fully interested and excited for the sequel. The fact that they’re actually going to take a good amount of time to develop it, as well as the fact that DeBlois is back on to write and direct it, makes me quite a happy camper and gives me faith that it’s going to end up as good of a story as the first one. I’ve been secretly hoping for a while now that they’ll follow along the lines of the second book in the series, not to a “t” but definitely adding in elements of it. It would make for a really exciting sequel, IMO.
As far as the TV series goes, I was totally expecting them to lighten it up and make it this really cheesy sort of thing, but I think I might actually be willing to give it a chance with what’s been said here. I’ll definitely be following this more closely from now on.
Huh! I’m interested in whatever’s happening over at Dreamworks… I know I’ll give the show a chance, and I’ll end up seeing the sequel too. The TV series is interesting me more though. I can’t wait to watch it!
The TV series… I was skeptical at first like I always am when I hear ‘TV adaptation’ or ‘sequel’, but I love how they say it’s gonna be darker than, say, KFP. I’ve got some hope left for DreamWorks, at least. Maybe we’ll get to see some of the other dragons from the dragon book in the first movie.
I won’t be saying anything about the sequel 'til I’ve seen a trailer, though.
Well, from the way he said it, I think we can all sigh in relief that maybe the TV show will be okay after all. I already had high hopes for the sequel, so…yeah.
It looks like they know exactly what they’re doing and what everyone wants to see.
For those who’ve read the book series, I’d like to hear your thoughts on what new creatures, characters and locations you think are most likely to appear or at least inspire, and which you’d want to see the most.
I think the sequel sounds fairly interesting, and I’m surprisingly interested in the TV series if they keep the tone of the original. It seems like they’re putting a lot more thought into the sequels and TV show than most Dreamworks spinoffs/sequels.
I like this idea of new adventures outside of Berk. I like Berk and everything, but it would be boring having three movies set on that little island, especially when this is a more actiony triolgy.
I love these quotes. So damn comforting. Basically any fears I had were set to ease. Things like not making light of the films themes and such. I’d write more if I was not at work and had time for a ramble, but in short: woo.
Hearing those words coming from the mouth of DeBlois himself totally assures me that the sequel is being taken seriously, and that we can very well look forward to a beautiful next chapter of HtTYD’s already incredible story.
I’m a bit disappointed that we haven’t heard anything about whether or not the sequel is going to run in the vein of the second book at all. I’d really love to see the characters and settings from the second book (How to Be a Pirate) materialize in the film sequel, especially the book series’ notorious villain Alvin the Treacherous. Hopefully in the days to come, as we near the release date, we’ll learn more about the story itself.
I had heard rumors ages ago about some of the characters getting voiced over by different actors, but now that it’s confirmed the original cast will be on for the second film, that’s one less thing I have to worry about. Thank God Gerard Butler signed back on! As EJE said the film really would not be the same without him.
I still need to read the books! I’ll be sure to do it before the sequel comes out. I’m really interested to know about the other cultures DeBlois mentions, that will be very interesting.
Oh goodness. I am so sold after that interview. I mean I’ve been sold but seriously watching DeBlois talk about the project, look at all that excitement! He did not want to stop talking. That was so fantastic to watch. I know that I definitely don’t always picture any position at DreamWorks having this kind of off the wall passion when it comes to these long open ended franchises that make you think it’s all about money and success and not about story telling. Seeing him so happy and rant on and on really made me excited.
The sequel and TV series are sounding good. I wonder if the TV show will have an over-arching plot line with a lot of continuity (kind of like in Avatar: The Last Airbender, where some of the episodes led into each other) or be episodic. It’d be nice to see Dreamworks branching out into something less comedic. Comedy’s fine, but stuff like HTTYD adds more variety to their filmography (if you ignore their traditionaly animated movies (not El Dorado maybe), which leant towards a more serious tone).
I’ll be okay with a sequel. if Dreamworks continue to do what they do, and really focus on the story, then it could be a wonderful sequel. A tv series, I’m not so sure about.
