Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was one of the most delightful surprises of 2023. Bringing fans new and old into the world of the popular tabletop role-playing game, the film was a fun example of what a game of Dungeons & Dragons could feel like but with characters that brought heart to the story.
Starring Chris Pine as Edgin Darvis, Michelle Rodriguez as Holga, Regé-Jean Page as Xenk, Justice Smith as Simon, Sophia Lillis as Doris, Hugh Grant as Forge, and more, the film became an instant favorite with fans and a movie that, while not originally intended to be a franchise from writers and directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, people wanted more of. Now, it seems a sequel might still be on the cards.
Nothing is currently set in stone for the future of Dungeons & Dragons, but in a recent interview with Total Film, Chris Pine told the publication that he had heard rumblings about a sequel. Though nothing has been given the green light yet, it is promising that Pine has heard something about a sequel. “I’ve heard some rumors about it. But I don’t know anything yet. But I feel pretty confident that it may happen.”
Is this Pine’s wishful thinking, or does he actually know something? Either way, the movie deserves the chance to expand its storytelling. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was refreshing and fun in a way that made fans excited about the franchise’s future, so why not expand it and see what a sequel could deliver? Why not try to see if another installment can capture that same charm again?
Dungeons & Dragons is a film worth franchising
Not only was the script filled with hilarious bits and witty one-liners, but Honor Among Thieves worked as a movie because of the cast that breathed life into it. Would Xenk have worked without Regé-Jean Page’s innate charm? No—and Edgin wouldn’t have been nearly as heartfelt if it wasn’t for Pine’s ability to make a character with dubious intentions caring and sincere. Rodriguez brought us all to tears in the end—or at least, she got me—because of how she added depth and emotional layers to Holga’s character.
So much of this movie just worked. It almost felt like a return to films like The Princess Bride in tone and style. Yes, in theory, Honor Among Thieves can live on its own as a film that is just a very good one-off, but I do think that a movie like this can be part of a new franchise. It deserves the chance to try, at least.
Pine has proven himself as a leading man time and time again, and I think that letting us have more stories in the Dungeons & Dragons world could be fun, given what Goldstein and Daley set up in Honor Among Thieves. Let’s hope that Pine is right about the rumors he’s heard.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
