This week, the fantastical world of the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons is coming to the big screen through the new movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves! Watch the trailer for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves below:
Before you see the epic fantasy movie in theaters this week, we’ve rounded up a few facts about it that you might not know about!
1. This is not the first Dungeons & Dragons movie.
Before Honor Among Thieves, there has already been an attempt to turn the beloved tabletop game into a movie franchise. In 2000, the movie Dungeons & Dragons starring Jeremy Irons and Marlon Wayans was released and will expand to become a trilogy in the next twelve years. If you haven’t heard about it or you don’t remember seeing it, then don’t be surprised because the franchise flopped. Despite having such a history, one can expect that the new adaptation has more to offer with today’s CGI and an all-star cast.
2. A star-studded cast for a colorful crew of characters.
Aside from the rich world of D&D as its setting, another selling point for the movie comes in the form of its star-studded cast whose members are not new to the fantasy and action genres. Leading the group is the charming thief Edgin played by Star Trek movie star Chris Pine; with Fast & Furious actress Michelle Rodriguez as the barbarian Holga; Regé-Jean Page of The Gray Man as Xenk the paladin; Detective Pikachu‘s Justice Smith as Simon the sorcerer; and Sophia Lillis of the It movies stars as the druid Doric.
3. The film is written and directed by the writers of Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Flash.
John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein serve as the writers and directors for the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie. The two have collaborated on multiple projects before, including Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Homecoming and the upcoming DC flick The Flash. They’ve also directed the comedy movies Game Night and Vacation.
The film was reportedly bouncing around studios for years before Paramount took it. When asked what made the famous roleplaying game hard to get adapted into a film, the directors answered: “Sometimes people take it too seriously and want to embrace the more dramatic elements of it,” Daley told Variety in an interview. “To us, that’s ridiculous, because you’ve got literally brains with four legs — you know, creatures that were so obviously written with a wink. On the flip side, if you try to get too goofy with it, you’re also doing it a disservice.”
“What we learned doing ‘Spider Man: Homecoming’ was that while you have to have a certain reverence for and love of the source material, you can’t let the weight of that thing hinder your creativity,” Goldstein added.
4. Familiar beasts will delight D&D fans.
There are numerous creatures from the Dungeons & Dragons lore that will be featured in the movie. Some of the monsters confirmed to appear in the movie include the Mimic, the Gelatinous Cube, Intellect Devourers, an Owlbear, the Displacer Beast, the Black Dragon, and Giant Spiders.
5. The Dungeons & Dragons directors share how they conveyed the spirit of the game in the movie.
In an interview with Variety, Daley and Goldstein shared how they maintained the spirit of the game in the movie, considering that there are no set characters or story in D&D.
“It’s a combination of things,” shared Daley. “Each character represents a different player and how they go about playing the game. Xenk, played by Regé-Jean Page, is very much the nerdy player that doesn’t make jokes and adheres strictly to the rulebook. Whereas Edgin, Chris Pine’s character, is the more casual player. He doesn’t bother to learn about the Bardic spells and would prefer to just hit people over the head with his lute.”
“The movie is almost like the dungeon master,” Goldstein added. “The plot twists that we throw at our characters are what a DM would do at the table, just to screw with you and make it more fun. It was our way of capturing what goes on when you’re playing D&D, without breaking the fourth wall or becoming meta with it.”
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opens in cinemas nationwide this Wednesday, March 29. Book your seats in advance and buy your tickets here.
