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One of the most popular franchises of all-time is coming to the big screen in March. Dungeons & Dragons is the subject of a brand new film from Paramount Pictures that will surely be a hit for fans of the tabletop game, which has been a massively popular Role Playing Game (RPG) since it was first released in 1974. HollywoodLife has got all the details about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves that you need to know before the movie drops.
Everything You Need To Know About The Upcoming ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Movie
The new Dungeons & Dragons film will follow a thief and his crew of adventure-seekers, as they try to retrieve a lost relic, but of course, trouble ensues along the way, and they run into some less than desirable characters, according to the film’s description on IMDb.
While Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves may serve as the introduction for new fans into the long-running game, it actually has a nearly 50-year history. While there were similar games that came before it, Dungeons & Dragons (or DnD) was originally designed by Gary Gyax and Dave Arneson. The pair were inspired by similar games but also elements of mythology, pulp fiction, and fantasy like The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Chris Pine is the leading man for the new ‘DnD’ film. (Shutterstock)
The original game was an immediate hit, and it’s since gone on to have many different editions of the RPG released, with the most recent dropping in 2014. The game has garnered respect among gamers and fantasy fans, earning a spot in both the National Toy Hall of Fame and Science Fiction Hall Of Fame.
The game has spawned many different pieces of media with original tabletop games serving as the inspiration, including books, TV series, and even movies. The game itself has also popped up in different places, like the hit TV show Stranger Things. Honor Among Thieves will be the fourth major Dungeons & Dragons film adaptation of the RPG, with the original film coming out in 2000. The original movie had two sequels: Wrath of the Dragon God in 2005 and The Book of Vile Darkness in 2012.
Along with shows like Stranger Things bringing the game into the mainstream, it’s expected that the new film may bring in a swath of new fans.
Michelle Rodriguez is also the star as a member of the team. (Shutterstock)
Cast & Crew
The new Dungeons & Dragons movie features an A-list cast of stars to bring the popular game to life. The movie’s leading man will be Chris Pine, playing the fast-talking thief Edgin, a bard. He stars alongside Michelle Rodriguez, who plays his strong and cunning pal Holga, a barbarian. The band of thieves that the duo team up with also include tons of stars, like Regé-Jean Page as Xenk (a paladin), Justice Smith as Simon (a sorcerer), Sophia Lillis as Doric (a druid), and Hugh Grant as Forge (another thief). They’ll team up to face off against the Red Wizard of Thay, who is played by Daisy Head. Jason Wong was also announced as the undead warrior Dralas.
The new Dungeons & Dragons movie was adapted from a story by Chris McKay, with the screenplay being written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The two also served as the film’s directors. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have written a fair share of hit films together, like Spider-Man: Homecoming. The two have dabbled in both comedy and drama, working on hits like Bones and Horrible Bosses. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have also dabbled in directing together, with them working on the film Game Night, per IMDb.
Rege-Jean Page stars as a Paladin. (Shutterstock)
With the movie being in development for some time, there have been some changes. For example, before Chris Pine was revealed to be the leading man, it was reported that Ansel Elgort was in talks to star when director Robert Letterman was attached, per Variety. The filmmakers has also not revealed all the details about their cast. Chloe Coleman was revealed to be starring in the new film in April 2021, per Deadline. The directors also revealed that cast members from the popular DnD web series Critical Role would have cameos in a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, via Gizmodo.
Plot & Storyline
The new movie will focus on Edgin (Pine) and Holga (Rodriguez) assembling a new team after they escape from prison for theft. While it originally focused on stealing back a lost relic, the team will also face off against “the greatest evil the world has ever known” as he revealed in the trailer played during the 2023 Super Bowl.
Goldstein and Daley teamed up to write the screenplay and direct. (Shutterstock)
The first official trailer dropped on July 21, 2022 at San Diego Comic-Con, and in a voiceover, Chris could be heard saying, “We helped the wrong person steal the wrong thing.” It also featured clips of himself and Rodriguez recruiting their team members and facing off with knights, armies, and other mythical creatures (like dragons).
It’s not clear if the plot from the new movie will tie-in to any of the past DnD films and what elements from the game will be included, but many of the characters share titles with different types of characters that players can use in the role-playing game.
Production History & Release Details
The latest iteration of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise had been in development as far back as 2013. Like so many other movies, production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Original release dates for the movie were moved around to accommodate release dates in the Mission: Impossible franchise, via Deadline. The movie started filming in May 2021. Jonathan Goldstein revealed that they’d begun by tweeting out a photo of a slate. John Francis Daley revealed that they’d finished filming that August. “Wrapped D&D today! Still alive!” he tweeted.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will hit theaters on March 31, 2023. The movie underwent moves from November 2021 to May 2022, to finally landing on the March release date. Ahead of the theatrical release, the movie will premiere at the SXSW Film Fest earlier in March and will be available in theaters at the end of the month.
Fan Theories
Hugh Grant’s character has sparked a major fan theory. (Paramount Pictures/Youtube)
With as big of a franchise as DnD, tons of fans have been speculating about what could happen in the new movie since it was announced. Tons of fans, game and movie experts have shared ideas about how the film plays into the larger franchise and the past movies on social media.
Since information about the film’s characters has been released, one of the many characters that people have zeroed in on is Forge Fitzwilliam (played by Hugh Grant). It’s been revealed that he’s the Lord of Neverwinter, but that conflicts with the established canon that a character named Dagult Neverember is the Lord of Neverwinter, per Polygon. Given the conflicts, there’s been some speculation that Dagult will play a part in the film at another time, possibly as a villain, or that the two characters are one in the same.
One of the biggest cameos that longtime fans of the game are hoping to see is the character Drizzt Do’Urden, according to Screen Rant. The character’s origins in the realm of the Underdark, where trailers for the new film seem to pave the way for him to make an appearance in Honor Among Thieves or future installments in the franchise. The appearance of the dragon Themberchaud also hints that the hero could make an appearance. This could pave the way for a character to appear in more movies in the series.
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