F. Murray Abraham to voice main villain in How to Train Your Dragon 3

I've never personally found the movies from DreamWorks Animation to be quite on the same level as Pixar's output, but the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON franchise is the rare exception. Following a young Viking named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON series takes place in a world full of dragons, which are at first presented as enemies, but Hiccup later becomes an expert on dragons when he befriends a rare Night Fury breed named Toothless and convinces his village that they can live in harmony.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3 will conclude the story arc which has stretched over the first two movies, and Deadline reports that DreamWorks Animation has made one hell of a choice for the main villain as they've tapped F. Murray Abraham to voice Grimmel. Chris DeFaria, head of DreamWorks Animation, said, "We are thrilled that F. Murray Abraham has joined our How To Train Your Dragon 3 cast as the villainous Grimmel. This character brings a captivating new story line to the culmination of our trilogy. There is a gentlemanly calm to this sinister role, one that dovetails beautifully with this iconic actor’s immense range and talents." Abraham's involvement came about when animators tested the role by using audio from Abraham's previous movies against the new villain and found it to be a perfect fit. It's said that F. Murray Abraham won't be putting on a Scottish accent for the role, but rather a "deep-baritone voice in the classic villain sense." Best not to mess with perfection.

Jay Baruchel spoke with JoBlo.com earlier this year about the film, saying that he'd already done "a number of recording sessions" for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3 at that point, but wasn't allowed to say much else. "This is what I'll say, and for whatever it's worth I do swear that this is not just promo nonsense," Baruchel said. "It's by far, the strongest of the stories (of the 3). It's the movie that the series requires and deserves and it's the rightful third chapter or third act, I should say. I don't think anybody will be disappointed." Fingers crossed.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3 is set for a March 1, 2019 release.