Honor Among Thieves

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Production Information
Story writer(s)	Chris McKay & Michael Gilio
Screenwriter(s)	Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio
Director(s)	Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Producer(s)	Stephen Davis, Brian Goldner, Shari Hanson, Roy Lee, Jeremy Latcham, Greg Mooradian, Ryan Jones
Cinematography	Barry Peterson
Productioncompanies	Entertainment One, Sweetpea Entertainment, Samson and Goliath Productions, Allspark Pictures, Latcham Pictures
Distributors	Paramount Pictures, Formerly: Warner Bros.
Release date	March 31, 2023
Format	Live action
Running time	137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes)
Link to citation	[cite this]
Performance Information
Actor(s)	Chloe Coleman, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head, Sophia Lillis, Regé-Jean Page, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Jason Wong
Story Information
Realm year(s)	Late 1490s DR

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (working title: Dungeons & Dragons) is a live-action action-adventure comedy movie based on the Dungeons & Dragons franchise and set in the Forgotten Realms. Developed by Paramount Pictures, it is written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, based on a story by Chris McKay and Michael Gilio, and stars Hugh Grant, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Regé-Jean Page, Chloe Coleman, Jason Wong, and Daisy Head. Filming in England, Northern Ireland, and Iceland took place in 2021, and it released on March 31, 2023.

Trailers & Clips

• Official Trailer, July 22^nd 2022
• An Epic Journey featurette, December 5^th, 2022
• New Trailer, January 23^rd 2023
• Big Game Spot, February 10^th 2023
• Valentine's Day clips, February 14^th, 2023
• IGN Fan Fest 2023 Exclusive clip (speak with dead), February 19^th, 2023
• Meet The Creatures featurette, February 27^th, 2023
• International Trailer, March 7^th, 2023
• Meet the Characters featurette, March 8^th, 2023
• Official Trailer, March 10^th, 2023
• Let the Games Begin Clip, March 14^th, 2023

Summary

“

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.

”

— Official synopsis from Paramount

“

An ex-Harper turned thief escapes from prison with his partner, a female barbarian, and reunites with a no-talent wizard and a druid new to their team in an effort to rob the cheating conman who stole all their loot from the heist that landed them behind bars, and used it to install himself as the Lord of Neverwinter. Only the traitor is allied with a powerful Red Wizard who has something far more sinister in store.

”

— Synopsis filed with United States Copyright Office

Index

Characters

Blackwood • Bobby • Diana • Doric • Dralas • Eric • Gorg • Gwinn • Hank • Ishira • Jarnathan • Jimn • Kira • Lucas • Marlamin • Presto • Rakor • Sheila • Sofina • Themberchaud • Tobias • Zia • Voss Anderton • Simon Aumar • Din Caldwell • Edgin Darvis • Forge Fitzwilliam • Dmitra Flass • Stanhard Grimwulf • Toke Horgath • Holga Kilgore • Dagult Neverember • Kriv Norixius • Porb Piiradost • Sven Salafin • Ven Salafin • Kimathi Stormhollow • Szass Tam • Jil Torbo • Xenk Yendar
Referenced only
Jolym • Mordenkainen • Nasher Alagondar • Elminster Aumar • Aoth Fezim • Ghelryn Foehammer

Creatures

aarakocra • axe beak • cat • deer • displacer beast • dragon (black dragon • copper dragon • gold dragon • red dragon) • dragonborn • dwarf • fly • gelatinous cube • giant clam • giant quipper • giant spider • githyanki • half-elf • halfling • hawk • hobgoblin • horse • human (Thayan • Uthgardt) • intellect devourer • lich • llama • mimic • mouse • owlbear (snowy owlbear) • rust monster • sapphire dragonfly • tabaxi • tiefling • undead • wood elf • yuan-ti abomination
Referenced only
beholder • bullywug • gnome

Locations

A CGIed shot of the Dún Briste sea stack at Downpatrick Head.

Sailing into Neverwinter. Somewhere underneath it all is the real world's Carrickfergus Castle.

Buildings and Sites

Castle Never • Driftwood Tavern • Emerald Tavern • Evermoors cemetery • Harper's sanctuary • Korinn's Keep • Neverwinter arena • Revel's End • Trip and Shuffle • Triboar playhouse

Settlements

Dolblunde • Gracklstugh • Longsaddle • Mornbryn's Shield • Neverwinter • Targos • Triboar
Referenced only
Baldur's Gate • Loudwater •  • Nesmé • Waterdeep

Geography

Dessarin Hills • Dessarin Valley • Evermoors • Kryptgarden Forest • Mount Hotenow • Neverwinter Wood • Starmetal Hills • Sword Mountains
Referenced only
Greypeak Mountains

Bodies of Water

Neverwinter River • Sea of Swords • River Dessarin • River Surbrin

Regions

Frozenfar • Icewind Dale • Sword Coast North • Thay • Underdark
Referenced only
Anauroch • Sword Coast

Organizations

Absolution Council • Cult of the Dragon • Elk tribe • Emerald Enclave • Harpers • Neverwinter Guard • Red Wizards of Thay (zulkirs)
Referenced only
Gray Hands

Magic

Abilities

wild shape

Spells

beckoning death • Bigby's hand • chain lightning • counterspell • Evard's black tentacles • fog cloud • green-flame blade • mage hand • magic missile • Maximilian's earthen grasp • misty step • Otiluke's resilient sphere • prestidigitation • reverse gravity • shield • speak with dead • thunderwave • time stop • transmute rock to mud
Referenced only
telekinesis

Magic Items

alchemy jug • bag of holding • darksteel greataxe • deathly token • Harper pin • helmet of disjunction • hither-thither staff • horn of beckoning death • magic-suppression cuff • pendant of invisibility • Red Wizard blade • sending stones • tablet of reawakening

Other Magic

Mordenkainen's arcane seal • wild magic

Religion

Deities

Referenced only
Gwaeron Windstrom • Kelemvor • Talos

Churches

Referenced only
Church of Talos

Items

Books

The Fanged Tome of Lykanthus Szar

Clothing

armor • cloak • jewelry • mitten

Currency

copper piece • electrum piece • gold piece • silver piece

Food & Drink

barley • carrot • clove • goose • pickleberry • potato • oat • sandwich • tea • vinegar

Instruments

lute

Materials

darksteel • gem • jewels • linseed oil • silver • oil

Tools

bellows • bit and bridle • candle • chain • ice pick • lamp • map • rope • saddle • satchel • shackles • spyglass • water clock

Vehicles

hot-air balloon • sleigh

Weapons

arrow • axe • bullet • daggersword • longsword • slingshot • staff

Miscellaneous

Events

Battle of the Evermoors • High Sun Games

Languages

Dethek • Elvish • Thayan language • Thorass alphabet

Songs

"Juice of the Vine" • "When the Battle is Over"

Other

janklee • mathematics • tattoo • Tears of Selûne

Development

Warner Bros.

The story began with a screenplay called Chainmail, or Untitled Dungeons & Dragons Project, written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Wrath of the Titans) in 2011/2012. It was named for and apparently based on the Chainmail miniatures wargame developed by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren that was a precursor to Dungeons & Dragons. Warner Bros. executive Jon Berg had asked Johnson to develop a screenplay based on D&D, despite Warner Bros. not then having the rights. Described as an action-adventure fantasy film, Johnson's script was well received at Warner Bros. in August 2012. So well received that, by September 18, 2012, Warner Bros. acquired rights from Courtney Solomon and Allan Zeman of Sweetpea Entertainment (the D&D movie rights holders since acquiring them from TSR, Inc. in the early 90s and known for the original Dungeons & Dragons movie in 2000) to make a new Dungeons & Dragons live-action movie. It was to be produced by John Middleton and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment (The Lego Movie, How to Train Your Dragon) and executive produced by Solomon and Zeman. The Chainmail script was adopted and appropriately enough retrofitted to suit Dungeons & Dragons just as its namesake game had been, and renamed Dungeons and Dragons. This was widely reported on May 7, 2013.

However, only a day later, it was reported Hasbro, owners of Wizards of the Coast and therefore D&D, were arguing the movie rights were theirs and furthermore were planning a movie with Universal Studios, directed by Chris Morgan (writer of the Fast & Furious franchise and 47 Ronin). They subsequently developed a script, titled Forgotten Realms: Dungeons & Dragons, its logline "Kept under wraps." by March 24, 2014. This was the first connection of either movie to the Forgotten Realms setting.

There followed much complicated legal wrangling beyond the scope of a D&D wiki, but it did depend on whether The Book of Vile Darkness was a sequel to the previous Dungeons & Dragons and Wrath of the Dragon God movies. They, and D&D fandom, will never know the answer to that question as, following a six-day trial in September 2014, Hasbro, Warner Bros., and Sweetpea settled out of court on the rights to a D&D movie. On August 3, 2015, it was reported they planned to make the D&D movie together, continuing the Warner Bros. project with the involvement of Hasbro's chief executive Brian Goldner and chief content officer Stephen Davis as producers. According to Greg Silverman, president of creative development and worldwide production at Warner Bros., "We are so excited about bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life on the big screen. This is far and away the most well-known brand in fantasy, which is the genre that drives the most passionate film followings. D&D has endless creative possibilities, giving our filmmakers immense opportunities to delight and thrill both fans and moviegoers new to the property." Still using Johnson's Chainmail script, it was said to be set in the Forgotten Realms. In an interview with Collider at DICE 2016, Roy Lee suggested the Warner Bros. movie would be an ensemble picture, with a group of main characters, and have an adventurous feel, commenting "This new Dungeons & Dragons will be a Guardians of the Galaxy–tone movie in a Tolkien-like universe. Because when you think of all the Hobbit movies and The Lord of the Rings, they have an earnestness to them, and to see something fun, a Raiders romp inside that world, I feel is something the audience has not seen before." Of Warner Bros., he said "I believe they see Dungeons & Dragons as something that could be cultivated as a multi-universe movie where there will be spinoffs from the first movie being in Forgotten Realms and subsequent movies being in different worlds." He also promised it would go deep into the source material and that the writer and others were all long-term D&D fans: "everyone who's involved with it now, especially the writer of the first draft is a fan from the very beginning starting with Chainmail, which turned into Dungeons & Dragons, so you'll see things that are very faithful to the source material as well as new elements are being incorporated with help from Wizards of the Coast, who are giving a lot of input on the script." He revealed the movie would be entirely set within the Forgotten Realms, with the Yawning Portal Inn being a prominent feature and set piece of the movie.

On March 31, 2016, Rob Letterman (Gulliver's Travels, Goosebumps) was confirmed to direct the D&D movie after a successful presentation to executives. Meanwhile, producers were rumored to be looking for an actor like Vin Diesel, a well-known D&D fan. On June 27, 2016, Ansel Elgort (The Divergent Series, Baby Driver) was reported to be in early talks to star. Dwayne Johnson was also in discussions to star at some point.

Paramount

However, a year and a half later, on December 18, 2017, Warner Bros. confirmed it was no longer developing a Dungeons & Dragons movie, while Paramount Pictures suddenly announced their own, to be released on July 23, 2021. This was alongside other movies based on other Hasbro properties, as part of a shared universe with Hasbro's Allspark Pictures.

On February 20, 2018, Chris McKay (director of The Lego Batman Movie) was reported to be in negotiations to direct the Dungeons & Dragons movie. Davis, Goldner, Lee, Solomon, and Zeman were all still producing. Michael Gilio was apparently rewriting Johnson's script. On March 8, 2018, Paramount was reportedly considering filming in the United Kingdom. It was reported on November 2, 2018, that principal photography would begin in summer of 2019. Furthermore, Shari Hanson (a visual effects producer for many Paramount movies) was added as a producer.

On March 12, 2019, it was reported Gilio had submitted a new script and Paramount was so satisfied that, while final revisions were being made, they would begin looking for a new lead male actor from a shortlist of A-listers, naming Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Johnny Depp, Vin Diesel, Joel Edgerton, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Pratt, Jeremy Renner and Will Smith.

However, Chris McKay moved on to another movie and by July 30, 2019, was replaced as director by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (directors of Game Night and co-writers of Spider-Man: Homecoming). Daley learned to play D&D while playing a geek character in Freaks and Geeks. In a later interview with FANDOM, Daley said "I'm an avid player... it's set in a fictional world that our DM created, but it definitely utilizes a lot of the creatures and monsters from the manual." and "I also play a video game with my son Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Shadow over Mystara... it's a nice bonding moment for us. So it's very much in my DNA at this point." He added "I'm a half-elf paladin, and I've been that for the last five years." His character's name is mentioned in the movie; "That was the most exciting moment for me, not seeing my name on the screen but hearing my character." but noted "he's not representative of the character that I created for myself, it was really just a name check."

Two days later, a source told wegotthiscovered.com that Goldstein and Daley were trying to get Zac Efron to play an important character named Malanthius, a big but not leading role.

Eventually, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic causing studio closures, filming delays, and difficulties, on April 24, 2020, the movie was delayed from November 19, 2021, to May 27, 2022, putting it in the middle of blockbuster movie season. By now, Goldstein and Daley had taken over scriptwriting. By May 7, 2020, Jeremy Latcham, a producer of several movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had signed on with Hasbro's Entertainment One (eOne) studio and would work on the Dungeons & Dragons movie. On May 28, 2020, The Hollywood Reporter published an interview with Goldstein and Daley, in which they discussed how the pandemic lockdown affected their plans for the D&D movie, among other things. Their plans to scout locations in the United Kingdom in March were curtailed by the shutdown of travel, and they wrote the second draft while in isolation, while large crowd scenes were being reconsidered. Goldstein said "We want it to be fun. It's not an out-and-out comedy, but it is an action-fantasy movie with a lot of comedic elements and characters we hope people will really get into and enjoy watching their adventures." while Daley said "D&D is such a unique look at the fantasy genre where it is contemporary in terms of the people playing it and the way they speak to each other. So we never wanted to spoof the genre of fantasy or take the piss out of it. But we did want to find another way into it that we hadn't necessarily seen before. Just the format of Dungeons & Dragons is so interesting and fun and all about critical thinking and thinking on your feet and figuring out ways to make things work after they fall flat. There's a lot of the spirit of that that we're trying to inject into the movie itself."

Concept art of a snowy owlbear (artist unknown).

Concept art of a journey through Icewind Dale (artist unknown).

Concept art was provided in 2020 by Luca Nemolato over March to May and by Paul Gerrard over July to October. Gerrard later wrote "I had to fight to get on the D&D movie. Not because of my ideas but my style. The known generalisation of my style was dark, monochrome, evil! The Director wanted colourful, fun, vibrant so the Production Designer had to push my work. It was a hard sell but he had faith in me. Each day he would say more colour, more character and so on. So I came up with a process to train myself... It worked!"

Cinematographer Barry Peterson announced on Instagram on August 23, 2020 "D&D coming soon." and confirmed filming in Ireland, while sharing an image of a dragon's eye. This is a recolored and cropped version of a widely available desktop wallpaper image, suggesting it is a mock-up if nothing else.

On April 4, 2021, Paramount announced delays for ten of its movies, including the D&D movie, which was pushed back from May 27, 2022, to March 3, 2023.

The visual special effects and animation are handled by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), famous for Star Wars and many Marvel comics movies and series, and by the Moving Picture Company (MPC), a VFX studio involved in countless movies and series, including The Witcher and The Wheel of Time in the fantasy genre. In 2021, MPC began hiring for the 'Untitled Dungeons & Dragons' movie, calling for "a fire breathing FX demon or an Animation wizard" and "a CG Supervisor that maxes out in (STR), (DEX), (CON), (INT) and (WIS)." Many creatures would be handled by animatronics. Hugh Grant later recalled, "Just when you thought you were doing a rather powerful or amusing little bit of acting, you'd realise there was a fucking dragon walking past you in the background, stealing your thunder. There was a lot of incredibly intricate, I don't know what you call it... Animatronics! Terrifying. A fish that eats babies! And suddenly the whole floor of the set would be quicksand! I wish I'd had my children with me. They would have liked that."

A storyboard for Doric's owlbear wild shape and fight scene.

Part of a storyboard for Holga's battle with the mimic.

To integrate the storyline with the lore of D&D and the Forgotten Realms during writing and production, Goldstein and Daley had the involvement of Wizards of the Coast representatives Nathan Stewart, Head of Franchise and VP of Global Brand Marketing & Strategy, and Jeremy Crawford, Principal Designer for D&D. Goldstein said in the interview with FANDOM, "Wizards of the Coast generally were involved very much throughout the process in the writing stage and on set, and we would consult them with any questions we had, any issues we had. And they were really helpful because—it wasn't in the spirit of 'you can't do that', it was 'let us help you figure out how you can do that in the world we've created'. Latcham added "Yeah, and Nathan and Jeremy at Wizards were just like tremendously helpful and still are." and gave an example of ensuring accuracy in a map presented in the film, adding "Because some things you're looking for authenticity and some thing's you're looking for accuracy and I think in that case accuracy would be appreciated... It's usually like how do we do this inside the world and make it right, and then sometimes it's like how do we make the movie exist in the world more specifically and so, it's really fun." Daley said "We actually went up to Wizards of the Coast headquarters in Seattle and did a crash course in some of the lesser-known aspects of the game and it was wildly helpful and we ended up incorporating a ton of stuff in the movie just from that meeting." They also had assistance from Ashley Alexander, Senior Director of Film Development & Sales at eOne and a producing partney; Daley said she "is like a bonafide D&D nerd who knows way more than i do about it and she was an invaluable resource." They also made use of D&D Beyond, with Latcham saying "We all had all-the-time access to D&D Beyond so it's just like 'okay, hold on, hold on, no that's not right', and the actor is like 'what's happening?' and we're 'we'll get back to you in one second, we have to work something out'." But most importantly, when asked "How much did you use the Forgotten Realms Wiki for research, Daley answered "A ton, a ton! ...Honestly, sometimes on-set."

Casting

Chris Pine (Star Trek, Wonder Woman) was reported on December 14 to be in negotiations to star. The next week, the site Illuminerdi claimed an exclusive report, giving details about Chris Pine's character, called Edgin.

By February 8, 2021, Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious and Resident Evil franchises among others) and Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), had closed deals to star in the movie, while Chris Pine was confirmed. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Rodriguez revealed her role as a barbarian: "You know what, I'm gonna be a barbarian in this one. And so, you know, I've just been training. I've been— lots of protein, oh my god, and I'm hoping to gain the weight necessary to just be able to carry an axe appropriately. So I'm in the mix with Chris, Chris Pine, I can't wait to work with him. I've always heard nothing but great things about this guy. And we're about to be in Ireland, man, you know, in the bubble." The bubble is coronavirus precautions, with testing three times a week.

“

It's a brilliant job. I'm literally paying my mortgage by fighting imaginary dragons.

”

— Regé-Jean Page joking in an interview with Variety
(only imaginary dragons, mind you, not Imagine Dragons)

Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton, Mortal Engines) was added a week later. In an interview with Variety in May, 2021, Page explained he wasn't a D&D player but said "I've listened to a couple of Dungeons and Dragons podcasts in my time. I played a ton of JRPGs and basically everything that's come out of it. I played a ton of Diablo as a teenager, so I'm used to the fact that I play a paladin—that's just what I do, and I know what that means, to a degree. I watched my friends play Baldur's Gate, so I'm like a second-generation 'Dungeons and Dragoner'." He recruited friends to teach him about D&D, adding "There is nowhere better or bigger to learn new worlds from than D&D." He said he was attracted by the Dungeons & Dragons movie script, observing it had stepped up and raised the bar for fantasy movies and would be a "huge sigh of relief for Dungeons & Dragons fans everywhere." Goldstein mentioned Page's role "allows him to show a full spectrum of his talent" and "He naturally exudes a sense of dignity and heroism that is fitting for the fantasy genre, and is perfect for the role we cast him in."

Hugh Grant, star of countless films, and Sophia Lillis (It, I Am Not Okay With This) were later reported to have joined by March 2. Grant was stated to be playing a villainous role. Various news sites added the rumor that Grant's character would be named "Forge Fletcher" and Lillis's "Doric", but the basis for this is unknown. In an interview with Screen Daily published on June 24, Grant said he hadn't played Dungeons & Dragons before but the movie, as a "great big, expensive Hollywood blockbuster" offered the chance to do something different and said "But more than that I laughed at the script. It's hard to please me, but it had real charm and moved me. I was certainly not expecting that." He could neither confirm nor deny reports that he'd be playing the villain.

Chloe Coleman (My Spy, Avatar 2) was added to the cast by April 21. Jason Wong (The Gentlemen) was reported on May 13 to be playing a character called Drallas (also reported as Dralas). Earlier, on May 1, he posted a video on Instagram of himself having a full head cast made, likely for a mask for his role. A week later, Daisy Head (Shadow and Bone) was reported to have joined the cast.

Dexter Fletcher (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Rocketman) revealed in an interview with Alex Zane of the Just the Facts podcast, released June 2, that he had a small role in the Dungeons & Dragons movie: "I just did Dungeons & Dragons as well... I only did it the other day as a favor, for a mate... Marlamin, he's called. I am Michelle Rodriguez's ex-husband... I think I'm a goodie. It's hard for me to say, because I've got one scene where she comes and sees me, in my little house. I'm really diminutive, I've got a very tall wife... They gave me one scene, I don't know what that's about... They were like 'Can you come and do this one scene, it'll just be really lovely.' ...I had a big beard." His character would be replaced with a cameo of Bradley Cooper, however.

And a dog: Antilly, a German Shepherd from Stunt Dogs and Animals, (After Life and Treason) appears in some scenes, it was later reported. "She's got loads of stuff coming up, she's going to be in the new Dungeons and Dragons—we went to Northern Ireland to film that last summer." said her handler. However, these dog scenes were apparently cut.

Ahead of shooting, the main cast played a campaign of D&D together to get familiar with the game and each other.

Production

Equipment and clapperboard for the first take.

Blue screen, new castle, and snow, in front of old King's Landing Gates at Titanic Studios.

Filming was planned to begin in the first quarter of 2021, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at Titanic Studios, where Game of Thrones was filmed. However, the first filming took place in South Iceland, supervised by Truenorth Productions, as reported on April 7. Some 60–70 people were involved, using Icelandic stand-ins for the main cast who couldn't attend due to pandemic restrictions, and 15 visitors from overseas. By a fortunate coincidence, the Fagradalsfjall volcano had begun erupting on March 19, with the first lava flow in the area for 6000 years. The production team used the opportunity to film scenes with it as a backdrop.

On the first day of production, rather than rehearsing, the cast and directors played a game of D&D together. Daley would recall, "The first day, rather than using our precious time to rehearse, we decided to play a three-plus hour game. The Wizards of the Coast were nice enough to give us a Dungeon Master on Zoom and we played. And it was hilarious and really educational, because I think they all learned about their characters more, and I think we incorporated some of the things that came out of that."

With the main cast, filming proper began in Belfast on April 29, with Goldstein posting a picture of the movie clapperboard for the first scene on Twitter on May 1, announcing "The campaign begins. #DnD", and Barry Peterson posting the same on Instagram with "Our adventure begins." Photographs of Titanic Studios taken around May 15–17 showed parts of the old King's Landing sets for Game of Thrones were rebuilt and others retained, with a new dark stone structure, artificial snow, and a blue screen added, seemingly for Dungeons & Dragons, though there may be some overlap with the GoT prequel House of the Dragon. Castle Street in Glenarm was closed for filming of Dungeons & Dragons from May 26.

Setting up for location filming on the coast near Ballintoy on May 14.

Filming began in the village of Ballintoy, Northern Ireland, on May 14; it had also been a location for Game of Thrones. Images of location filming being set up on the coast nearby appeared thereafter.

Filming was scheduled to take place around Wells Cathedral and Wells, Somerset, in England on June 2–5 and 8–12. Filming proper started on June 10, with first images showing Chloe Coleman and other actors in costume. Michelle Rodriguez was sighted half in costume a day or so later, and Hugh Grant shortly after.

A gate house at Alnwick Castle with new banners reading The Highsun Games in Thorass.

Rumors also had filming scheduled to occur at Alnwick Castle (a location used for several movies) in Alnwick, Northumberland, with preparations going back to May 26th and the castle closed for a "private event" over June 7–12. Photos on June 4 showed the castle being embellished with fake lion-topped plinths and garden features, tracks being erased, tents outside and a market inside for the Dungeons & Dragons movie. The first images of filming at and around Alnwick Castle appeared on June 7 and 8, showing the castle hung with banners, some displaying the blue three-snowflakes symbol of Neverwinter, confirming at least some of the movie is set there, and the same symbol in yellow and orange within a sun. Later images showed these sun banners removed. Other images showed warriors in armor and head tattoos, a boat on a river, artificial smoke or mist, a collection of tents outside and a small market inside, and extras dressed as knights, peasants, nobles, and merchants (see Gallery, below). Images of filming at Wells Cathedral from June 10 showed Chloe Coleman, Michelle Rodriguez, and Hugh Grant in costume, and similar knights and noble characters in medieval dress.

From around June 24, posts on social media reported film crew trailers and stages being set up at Carrickfergus Castle, in the castle, car park, and harbor. This was dressed as a docks with boats and stacks of cargo and the castle entrance was given false stonework. Images appeared on social media of medieval armored boats and paraphernalia, as well as Sophia Lillis in dressing gown and medieval boots hidden behind an umbrella. Friend of the FRW Gerald Clarke of Hibernoway later visited the castle and found it fenced off, and took pictures and a video from the scene. On June 26, Michelle Rodriguez was seen arriving on set in costume, mask and dressing gown. On June 28, Chris Pine and Hugh Grant were seen at the castle in costume, with a glimpse of horned character who might be Sophia Lillis. The following day, Justice Smith, Chloe Coleman, and Sophia Lillis, as well as Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, were all seen on set and joking together. June 30 was reportedly the final day of location filming at Carrickfergus with the actors, though more filming with stuntwork was expected.

A few prominent boats were seen at Carrickfergus Castle. The most notable is a large black-hulled vessel covered over with spiked armored plates, with a single mast with dark-blue sails, and a battering ram ending in a copper dragon head, colored to resemble old copper. It resembles a Korean geobukseon (or turtle ship). Coleman, Lillis, Pine, Rodriguez, and Smith appeared have scenes on board. This ship was later transported to Titanic Studios It would later feature prominently on a screen behind Daley and Goldstein in their D&D Direct video and in the trailers. Two other ships are of Irish design: a currach (or curragh) and a Galway hooker (or clipper) with black-painted hull (teal or aquamarine below the waterline) and red sails. The Galway hooker was apparently transported from Abu Dhabi in a temperature-controlled container to preserve its sails.

Cast and crew working out a scene...

...and how it turned out.

Again from social media, the next sites for location filming are apparently the abandoned village of Galboly (previously a Game of Thrones site) and Fallowvee Cottage. Visitors reported Galboly to be fenced off by June 27 for a few weeks for filming of Dungeons & Dragons, starting July 7. Nearby Glen Road in Glenariffe was closed for filming of Dungeons & Dragons from June 29. This site was confirmed on July 8 when Barry Peterson posted an image from near Fallowvee on Instagram. Aerial photos on July 11 showed the cottage set built for Game of Thrones had been remodeled with new door-frame pillars and door, windows, added thatch and moss on the roof, and a chimney, with gardens or farms under construction. A week later, people were again able to visit Galboly, and took close-up pictures of the remodeled cottage.

On July 31 and August 1, the dragon-headed boat was seen sailing on Lough Neagh, a lake in Northern Ireland, presumably for filming. It was accompanied by safety boats and a helicopter.

Filming for Hugh Grant and Regé-Jean Page wrapped on August 8. This was reported soon after on Twitter by Jonathan Goldstein, who said "and damn are they good in this movie." Photos of Titanic Studios tweeted on November 16 showed the D&D movie set occupying the former King's Landing street set, with a market scene and the sun symbol banners appearing once more.

Filming overall wrapped on August 19, as reported on Twitter by John Francis Daley. Barry Peterson posted a group shot of the lighting crew at Titanic Studios to Instagram around August 22, declaring "That's a wrap on Dungeons & Dragons." On February 3, he posted a behind-the-scenes image of lighting control screens and cranes, teasing "D&D what's behind the curtain."

Nevertheless, shooting with extras would continue as late as March 2022.

Promotion & Press

In an interview with Collider on September 9, Justice Smith said of the Dungeons & Dragons movie "[Goldstein and Daley are] incredible. They're so funny and they have such clear vision. I loved Game Night. That movie is so good and so funny. And it's such a clear, specific story. It doesn't try and be anything that it's not. I think they approached this the same way. I can't spoil too much but it's action-packed, thrilling, funny as hell… it's all of the things and yet it has a clear idea. That specificity is key in storytelling and John and Jonathan do that so well, being like, "This is the story we're telling but they're making it enjoyable the entire time." This is me not trying to spoil the movie in any regards. I've given away no details."

Chris Pine, when asked about the movie in an interview with Collider published on March 18, 2022, said "Well, what I will say is we had a hell of a fun time making it. There was a lot of laughs. The way that I've been describing it, it's like Game of Thrones mixed with a little Princess Bride, just a smidge of Holy Grail; it's somewhere in that ballpark. It's a lot of fun. It's got a lot of thrills. It's poppy, it's eighties heartfelt, there's a bit of Goonies in there. My character, he's the ultimate party planner. I think it's going to be really good. I mean, who —ing knows, but I think we got a good shot and John and John are killer guys. They know comedy and they know heart and we had a great cast and we had a good time making it. And that's all you can ask for."

Hasbro's 2022 Ignite/Innovation Showcase for investors and retailers on March 26, 2022, briefly mentioned the D&D movie. Jenny Whitlock, VP of Global Franchise Strategy & Management, said "Turning to Wizards' other iconic brand, Dungeons & Dragons, get ready to embark on a new adventure next spring, with an epic cinematic event. Releasing only in theaters March 3rd, 2023, this live-action feature film stars an impressive roster of talent and will introduce audiences around the world to this legendary and expansive story universe."

Daley and Goldstein introducing the movie, behind the first look at Carrickfergus Castle Neverwinter!

The D&D Direct online event on April 22, 2022, viewable here, had a teaser video revealing the full logo and title of the movie: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Daley and Goldstein together said "Hi, I'm John Francis Daley, and I'm Jonathan Goldstein. After years of being devoted players, we, like you, have been spent a lot of time imagining the incredible places, characters, and limitless adventure that D&D offers. We could not be more excited to bring this world to the big screen. We just wrapped shooting in some of the most incredible locations. It's a dream come true to bring the Forgotten Realms and the Sword Coast to life. We set out to capture the spirit of fun and surprise that we all love about D&D. Thank you to our awesome partners at Wizards of the Coast, but most importantly thank you to you, the greatest fans in the world. It's going to be in theaters March 2023. We can't wait for you to see it." They appeared in front of a screen showing a city, likely Neverwinter, and the armored boat seen in location photos.

At CinemaCon 2022, Paramounted previewed a private 'sizzle reel' for cinema executives and convention goes including scenes from Honor Among Thieves, about 30 seconds in total. Press described it as having "the production quality of a top-notched historical epic" with "lush landscape locations" and "large, beautiful vistas", with "a fun, action packed vibe".

At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, a special display titled the 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Tavern Experience' took visitors around a mock dungeon and tavern, with models of a gelatinous cube, beholder, mimic, and a displacer beast, and video of a black dragon. Promotional videos depicted Grant, Pine, Smith, Rodriguez, Lillis, and Page in costume and performing poses, accompanied by 5^th-edition class icons that indicate their character's classes. Movie posters depicting various monsters were seen, but used recycled artworks and even an intellect devourer from the Pathfinder system; these were made by BossLogic specifically for SDCC using provided resources. Much news poured out on the 21^st and 22^nd July. Actors were available for meetings with press; IGN interviewed Lillis and Rodriguez about their characters and experience with D&D and Entertainment Weekly interviewed the main cast, producer, and directors, revealing final character names and details. A great deal of information came out to the press and audience in a panel, with behind-the-scenes footage and additional clips from the movie, depicting a scene of interrogating slain soldiers via speak with dead to find the location of a magical helmet and an extended arena battle scene, with reports of a homage to the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series in the form of rival adventurers. The first trailer, seen here, was also unveiled at the convention, along with an official synopsis. The soundtrack was "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. Christopher Perkins and Todd Kenreck discussed various things seen in it another video, here, confirming various plot details, such as Doric's tiefling race and the Revel's End prison being created to link with the movie. FANDOM's Emma Fyffe and Kylara also interviewed Latcham, Goldstein, and Daley, using a few questions submitted by the FRW editors; responses to these are above.

A behind-the-scenes featurette titled 'An Epic Journey' was released by Paramount on December 5, 2022. It has brief interviews with cast and crew, as well as new clips from the movie, revealing more character moments and creatures. A second movie poster was released, but received some criticism for its random-cluster-of-bodies composition, being typical of many movie posters, particularly Marvel superhero movies. Hence, a third poster was released a few days later, with a more original circular composition that was much better received.

A second trailer was released on January 23^rd, 2023. This revealed more plot and lore details. An interview with writer-directors Daley and Goldstein confirmed and gave more of these, naming Daisy Head's character and revealing Szass Tam as the ultimate villain. A tweet from Goldstein teased the appearance of the Cult of the Dragon, by showing extras in costume armor waiting in line at a port-a-loo.

In an interview with IGN on February 19^th at IGN Fan Fest, Daley and Goldstein revealed the movie would have no meta narrative, that is, there would be no scenes of gameplay in real-world nor characters from Earth falling into the Forgotten Realms as had often been speculated in press. Daley: "This is not Jumanji. We talked about it, but we made a decision that we did not want to break the fourth wall. There's so much fun to be had just in the world of D&D that we didn't have to bring it into our world and show kids playing." Goldstein: "We felt, in fact, that it would be sort of limiting the absolute scope of this world if we were to sort of put it through the lens of a game being played." On adherence to D&D rules, Goldstein also noted "We definitely played by the rule of cool when it came to how much we adhere to the game mechanics. Very often, I think we do have a lot of turn-based action. And all the spells and monsters and creatures that they come across are authentic to the lore, but we definitely took some liberties to give you the most action-packed fun that we could." IGN also displayed an exclusive clip showing the speak with dead scene.

Story

As to the story itself, various versions have been reported or rumored. A preregistered copyright filed with the United States Copyright Office on May 12, 2021, gave a brief précis of the plot:

“

An ex-Harper turned thief escapes from prison with his partner, a female barbarian, and reunites with a no-talent wizard and a druid new to their team in an effort to rob the cheating conman who stole all their loot from the heist that landed them behind bars, and used it to install himself as the Lord of Neverwinter. Only the traitor is allied with a powerful Red Wizard who has something far more sinister in store.

”

This was subsequently reported to be "not accurate", according to unnamed sources and confirmations. Darryl Mott of Enworld offered more cogent reasons for this: as a placeholder description for copyright preregistration, it does not need to be official and may be an earlier or falsified version to prevent spoilers. In any case, every element of this would be borne out by later news and trailers, suggesting it was, in fact, entirely correct all along and it was the press who were not accurate.

A Wizards of the Coast press release on May 21, 2021, confirmed the Paramount movie is set in the Forgotten Realms and that it's not focused on Drizzt Do'Urden. In D&D Direct in 2022, Daley and Goldstein mentioned it would be set in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms.

Michael Lombardo, President of Global Television for Hasbro's Entertainment One, in an interview with Deadline published on November 22, 2021, discussed the Dungeons & Dragons series then in development and noted "We have a big movie that's in post right now that will come out first so, we're trying to also navigate the brand more holistically so that the movie feels not apart from but connected somehow to a bigger universe." Discussing the series, pitch writer Derek Kolstad mentioned certain canon characters are off limits, given shifting copyrights with the Dungeons & Dragons movie, implying the movie will include some existing canon characters.

Regrettably, all we can show you is this boar.

Oh, alright, and this boar-head shield.

And now Gwaeron Windstrom.

In early May, 2022, Forgotten Realms Wiki editors conducted independent research and discovered clues revealing scenes set in the town of Triboar, but are not at liberty to share the full evidence. Images of a battle with three boars, ornamental shields bearing three boar heads, processions of warriors, and a depiction of the god Gwaeron Windstrom all point to Triboar. This was the Triboar playhouse see in Honor Among Thieves.

In addition, the banners at Alnwick Castle were found to display letters in the Thorass alphabet. Though jumbled, they read 'The Highsun Games' or 'The High Sun Games', referring to the arena battle held in Neverwinter at the end of the movie.

In late July, 2022, following the trailer release, Forgotten Realms Wiki editors discovered a leaked fragment of the Honor Among Thieves script dated to late 2020. Character names and story details were confirmed by the trailer, official synopsis, character details, novelization, and eventually the movie itself. It is presented at Forum:Honor Among Thieves script leak; it contains minor spoilers.

Past Story Rumors

The first screening probably won't go like this.

With many prior incarnations of the script, there has been a variety of rumored storylines for the movie. On movie-industry spec script resource The Tracking Board, the logline given for the original Chainmail script on September 18, 2012, read:

“

Centers on a warrior and his band of mystical creatures who embark on a dangerous journey to find a mythical treasure.

”

This would expand slightly over time, with the logline for Dungeons & Dragons on August 3, 2015, (after the Hasbro/Warner Bros. partnership on the movie) reading:

“

Based on the iconic game, a warrior and his band of mystical creatures – including a half-dragon and a cunning gnome – embark on a dangerous journey to find a mythical treasure.

”

Industry publication Production Weekly gave a similar description as late as April 8, 2021:

“

The action-adventure tale centers on Edgin (Pine) a warrior and his band of mystical creatures – including a half-dragon and a cunning gnome – as they embark on a dangerous journey to find a mythical treasure.

”

This aligns closely with the following rumors and reports, but may also be out-of-date or falsified as this version dates back to the original Johnson-McGoldrick Chainmail script for Warner Bros., before the Gilio rewrite for Paramount. It is unknown what, if anything, remains of the original storyline; Johnson-McGoldrick's name is no longer attached, only Gilio's, but the Chainmail working title is retained. Furthermore, the Universal Forgotten Realms: Dungeons & Dragons may have been used instead or merged with Chainmail. Nevertheless, this description was updated to include Chris Pine and the Edgin character, who presumably replaces Raven Hightower.

On June 27, 2016, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News claimed to have seen Johnson-McGoldrick's first draft of the script. Apparently named Dungeons & Dragons: The Hand of Chaos, it is an "Object Quest style D&D story", described as more like Indiana Jones than Warcraft, with "competitors and traitors and all manners of magic and monsters and Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson inspired awesomery throughout." Characters include Raven Hightower, played by Ansel Elgort; a gnome cutpurse, a bald warlock, and a half-dragon, possibly fighting a gnoll at some point. (Incidentally, The Hand of Chaos shares a name with a non-D&D fantasy novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, noted writers of the Dragonlance D&D setting.)

On November 27, 2019, both FandomWire and Comicbook.com claimed exclusive reports from sources on the Paramount movie's plot and characters, giving details that tallied with the earlier reports about the Warner Bros. project, with FandomWire giving much more detail and the two differing in some spellings.

“

Fantasy adventure centering on a warrior and his band of mystical creatures as they embark on a dangerous journey to find a mythical treasure.

”

Both also revolve around the gold dragon Palarandusk and the Triadic Knights. Comicbook.com added that they are "looking for the Eye of Vecna".

Characters previously reported, possibly for earlier scripts, are:

• Raven Hightower, a warrior with a magical flaming sword and wearing leather armor and oiled cloak. He has long hair, a beard, and dark sunken eyes. He and his sister were once slaves, possibly of Razer Horlbar. He is an honorable man but haunted by his sister's death. He explores "the Demon Temples" alongside Zanril and Karroway. A leading male role in 88 scenes. (Possibly replaced by Edgin.)
• Hack Karroway, a half-dragon and former human. He can breathe fire, wielded a large bastard sword and wears armor. He is 7 feet tall and has a long tail, and blood-red scales. He is logical and intelligent. He explores "the Demon Temples" alongside Hightower and Zanril. A leading male role in 77 scenes played via voice-over.
• Otivan Trickfoot or Olivan Trickfoot, a gnome thief. He is cunning and untrustworthy. He wears magical rings. A strong supporting male role in 51 scenes.
• Alyssa Steelsong, the leader of "the masked warriors" and set to take Palarandusk's place as Lord Protector of the Triadic Knights after his death. She uses a mace. A strong supporting female role in 41 scenes.
• Malanthius, a spellcaster. He is young, slender, and has long hair. A potential ally of the main characters; an important but not leading role. A strong supporting male role in 26 scenes. (This character has a very similar name and occupation as the Magister Malanthus Stormstaern.)
• Palarandusk, an ancient gold dragon and Lord Protector of a group of Triadic Knights. He has catfish-like whiskers and his scales are cracked and spines dangling. He eats gemstones. A supporting male role in 3 scenes. Palarandusk is a gold dragon known to be a protector of Neverwinter and Ieirithymbul), while "Lord Protector" is a title for leaders of Neverwinter like Dagult Neverember. Palarandusk, with his original title as the Unseen Protector, is confirmed to appear in the final movie by the NERF MicroShots Dungeons & Dragons Palarandusk Blaster.
• Razer Horlbar, an elf and leader of "the cloaked men", including Damaia and The Beast. He is the main villain and once enslaved Raven and his sister. He is handsome, has jet-black skin, long white hair, and pointed ears. A supporting male role in 14 scenes. (Presumably he is a drow and a member of House Horlbar.)
• Damaia or Damala, a tiefling descended from demons who has horns, a long tail, and pointed teeth. A supporting female role in 10 scenes. ("Damaia" is a suggested female tiefling name in Player's Handbook 4th edition and Player's Handbook 5th edition.)
• The Beast, a brutish warrior. He is huge and wears a cloak and a blank wooden mask. A supporting male role in 9 scenes.
• Bickety, a human swordsman and adventurer with a scarred face. A supporting male role in 9 scenes.
• Zanril, a warlock adventurer. He's bald. He explores "the Demon Temples" alongside Hightower and Karroway. A supporting male role in 9 scenes.
• Skeever, a half-orc adventurer. A supporting male role in 7 scenes.

Merchandise

A number of tie-in novels published by Penguin Random House will be released on February 28, 2023:

• Honor Among Thieves: The Road to Neverwinter, a prequel novel
• Honor Among Thieves: The Druid's Call, a prequel novel
• Honor Among Thieves: The Feast of the Moon, a prequel comic
• Honor Among Thieves: The Junior Novelization, a novelization intended for younger readers
• Honor Among Thieves: The Quest Begins, a novella intended for younger readers
• Honor Among Thieves: Heroes Unite!, a reading tutor
• Honor Among Thieves: Official Activity Book, an activity and sticker book
• The Art and Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, an art book

Appendix

Gallery

See Images from Honor Among Thieves and pages on individual actors (links above) for photos specifically of them.

Movie Posters

The infamous San Diego Comic-Con movie poster, with Pathfinder intellect devourer.

First official movie poster.

The second poster.

The new-and-improved third poster.

A poster featuring Doric's owlbear form.

International poster.

A poster featuring Themberchaud.

The poster by Jeff Easley.

Alnwick Castle location shooting

Plastic and plywood plinths with lion tops.

New plastic garden features.

Setting up a market scene and banners inside the castle.

Setting up a market scene and banners inside the castle.

Crew member and tattooed warrior.

Tattooed warrior and crew member.

Two robed characters on a boat.

Crew and actors dressed as warriors getting ready.

A camp of odd-looking tents.

Extras in costume entering the castle.

A knight on horseback.

Knights and peasants congregate behind a trailer.

Wells Cathedral location shooting

Chloe Coleman and other actors and extras outside the cathedral.

Two characters standing far, far apart.

Cameras on cranes looking through the windows.

Actor in costume as a nobleman.

Actor in costume as an elf or half-elf character.

Actor in costume as a knight.

Actor in costume as a knight.

Actor in costume as a noblewoman.

Carrickfergus Castle location shooting

A partially covered armored boat in the harbor.

Set being constructed with new stone wall at entrance.

Dressed-up Carrickfergus Castle (courtesy PhotoGraft).

Dressed-up Carrickfergus Castle dock (courtesy PhotoGraft).

Dressed-up Carrickfergus Castle dock (courtesy PhotoGraft).

Set being constructed outside the castle.

Copper dragon figurehead attached to the armored boat.

Dock scene set, with blue-screen in front of armored boat (courtesy PhotoGraft).

The Galway hooker at the dock (courtesy PhotoGraft).

Filming on set (courtesy PhotoGraft).

Knight extras, cargo, and treasure on the dock (courtesy PhotoGraft).

A knight extra on the dock (courtesy PhotoGraft).

Knight extras talking (courtesy PhotoGraft).

Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith on the armored boat.

Chris Pine also looking over the boat.

Rodriguez, Pine, Coleman, Lillis, and Smith on the armored boat.

Lillis and Pine on the armored boat.

Michelle Rodriguez making battle faces.

Michelle Rodriguez making battle faces.

An overview of the set outside Carrickfergus Castle.

Galboly & Fallowvee location shooting

Aerial view of Galboly, showing a remodelled cottage (with the red-spotted roof).

Aerial view of Fallowvee, showing boards laid out on the ground.

A front view of the remodelled cottage (courtesy Picfineart).

A rear view of the remodelled cottage (courtesy Picfineart).

Titanic Studios interior sets

An interior alley set.

An exterior street set showing sun symbols.

An exterior street set .

An audience set.

Models

Elf ear prosthetics selected by Jonathan Goldstein in February 2021.

An animatronic model of the gold dragon Palarandusk.

Concept Art

Concept art of the High Sun Games.

A bunch of easter eggs.

External Links

• Dungeons & Dragons (2023 film) article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
  
• Dungeons & Dragons (2023) at IMDb