(Photo courtesy of GameSpot) The fate of “Honor Among Thieves” will be decided when it hits theaters in late March.
Riley Fontana
Connector Editor
After facing multiple controversies as of late, Wizards of the Coast is looking to bounce back with their upcoming movie, “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves.” Set to release March 31st, 2023, and starring Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis and Regé-Jean Page, the movie is advertising a fun adventure filled with humor and the energy of a real “Dungeons and Dragons” campaign.
The movie has faced minor bumps in the road (as it does with every good D&D campaign). It has had its release date pushed by almost a month, originally slated to release March 3rd. Fans played this off as scheduling issues like most parties face when trying to play the game itself. Filming started in April of 2021, and ever since, the excitement around the film has been building.
This is not the first “Dungeons and Dragons” movie adaptation, but it may hopefully be the best one. Released in 2000, the film “Dungeons and Dragons” and its two sequels were not well received by many. While fairly star-studded for the time, with Jeremy Irons and Thora Birch starring, nothing about these films are good. Lacking in the plot, writing and acting skill, the film somehow managed to get two sequels that are almost completely separated from the first film. As far as fans know, “Honor Among Thieves” is not tied to these films, and if there are references to the 2000s trilogy in the new movie, they would be sure to go over the heads of most.
There are other adaptations, such as Tom Hanks’ “Mazes and Monster” an anti-DnD film from 1982, and the animated “Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight.” These films are not approved by Wizards of the Coast, but they have their own cult fan bases all the same. There are several other unofficial adaptations that are inspired by real stories from the tabletop game, in-game adventures and even DnD parodies.
The past successes and failures bring fear to the new film release. The cast and effects look promising from what is seen in the trailers, and fans are seemingly in agreement about the movie capturing the energy of real campaigns and the feeling of playing in a party. The plot, of accidentally taking a cursed item to the wrong person and now having a way to get it back, truly feels like it has been written by people who have played and enjoyed “Dungeons and Dragons” for many years.
The cast is not unfamiliar with big-brand films like this, as most recently, Chris Pine appeared in last year’s “Don’t Worry Darling” and Michelle Rodriguez in “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Fans of “Dungeons and Dragons” have high hopes for this film, and past adaptations have not brought anything close to enjoyable to the table.
In short, expectations from fans for this film are high, and all who appreciate the brand wait with bated breath to see if Wizards of the Coast will get into any more controversies that may wane their support for more of their products. With the recent Open Game License (OGL) drama that brought in calls to boycott the film, it is now a waiting game to see if fans will pack the theaters or not. If the cast’s word is anything to go by, the film is sure to be a fun time.
