We are still a long way away from How to Train Your Dragon 3, the third and final film in Dean DeBlois’ epic saga of a boy and his dragon. Traditionally, the Dragons franchise is know for taking daring risks in places where perhaps other animated films wouldn’t dare to go. That tradition seems poised to continue now that Dean and company have come clean on what boundaries they intend to break in the final film.
According to an exclusive report from Variety, Dean DeBlois revealed to the publication that the final script for How to Train Your Dragon 3 will aim for a PG-13 rating!
“This is the final film in the trilogy and quite possibly the last time I will be involved with the franchise on this level, so I wanted to draft a script that I felt was true to the spirit of the trilogy and was the right way to end it,” DeBlois told Variety.
When pressed about why the film will receive a PG-13 rating when previous films stayed within the PG area, DeBlois responded: “I didn’t write the screenplay with the intention of getting a PG-13 rating, but I wanted this film to end the way that I had envisioned since pitching the trilogy to Jeffrey [Katzenberg] seven years ago. There was no way that I could betray that.” He later revealed that he had numerous conversations with Katzenberg about the screenplay and expressed his surprise that the CEO of a major animation company was letting him move forward on this. “I have a great creative relationship with Jeffrey, but I also understand that he has a studio to run. But for him to let me make the movie I wanted to make was truly a pioneering moment, because nobody else is doing it.”
Variety also spoke to Bonnie Arnold, the current co-president of feature animation for DreamWorks Animation and the producer of the Dragons films, who had this to say about the script: “What Dean wrote is absolutely wonderful. There’s nothing overly violent or gory or anything else, but there are several key scenes in the script that are…more intense than anything that was shown in Dragons one or two. The stakes are real, the danger is real, and it is probably the darkest film yet. It’s a testament to how brave Dean is as a storyteller and I can’t wait for the world to see it.”
Currently, storyboards and concept art for the film are being drafted. When asked for any clues about what might happen in the film, DeBlois replied with this: “Some of the characters that we’ve come know, human and dragon, might not make it to the end.” Guess away, Dragons fans!
(Read the original article here.)
What do you think? Will How to Train Your Dragon 3 work with a PG-13 rating?
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes
