Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

## Chronology

***Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves*** (subtitle spelled ***Honour Among Thieves*** in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is a 2023 American fantasy heist action comedy film directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio from a story by Chris McKay and Gilio. Based on the tabletop role-playing game *Dungeons & Dragons*, it is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting and has no connections to the film trilogy released between 2000 and 2012. The film stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant.

*Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves* had its premiere at South by Southwest on March 10, 2023, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 31, 2023 by Paramount Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics.

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The film starts in an icy wasteland. A carriage brings an orc-like creature to a prison. He meets his cellmates, the bard Edgin Darvis and the barbarian Holga Kilgore. The orc attempts to make a pass at Holga, who responds by breaking his knees and smashing his face.

The following day, Edgin and Holga are brought before the Absolution Council to state their case for an appeal for their pardon. Edgin begins by telling his backstory to the Council to give context for why he and Holga are there. Years ago, he was a member of the Harpers Faction, a group of spies that fought against evil. Edgin was married to Zia Darvis and had a daughter, Kira. Tragedy struck when a group of Red Wizards attacked Edgin’s home and killed Zia, leaving him a widowed father and turning his back on the Harpers. As he struggled to provide for himself and Kira, he met Holga, who was banished from her tribe for falling in love with an outsider. Despite trying to live honestly, Edgin and Holga resorted to thievery, and Holga became like a surrogate parent to Kira. Edgin and Holga later teamed up with rookie sorcerer Simon Aumar and the rogue Forge Fitzwilliam to steal from others. Things changed when they met a wizard named Sofina. She requested their help to rob Korin’s Keep, a Harper stronghold filled with riches. While Edgin refused at first, Forge convinced him when he told Edgin that the Keep contains the Tablet of Reawakening, which he realized he can use to bring Zia back to life. The plan went sour when Sofina’s true intentions were revealed, and she used a time-freezing spell to trap Edgin and Holga. Edgin gave Forge the Tablet and asks him to look after Kira, while Simon also managed to get away.

Edgin finishes the story as he waits for a Council member named Jarnathan to show up. Once he does, Edgin and Holga use Jarnathan, who is a bird creature, to break through the window and fly out though the Council approved their pardon. Now free, the two thieves resolve to relocate Forge so that Edgin may reclaim the Tablet and get Kira back. They go to a pub and find a flyer that reveals that Forge is now Lord of Neverwinter. The duo travel to Neverwinter, which is preparing for the annual Highsun Games. They reunite with Kira, who is more excited to see Holga than her own father, as she thinks Edgin abandoned her for selfish reasons. They all meet with Forge, who used the riches stolen from Korin’s Keep to make himself the Lord of Neverwinter. Forge also reveals that he has Sofina working with him as his advisor. Edgin then learns that Forge has been telling Kira that he was arrested for stealing riches and not because of the Tablet of Reawakening. When he and Holga attempt to get Forge, Sofina uses her magic to trap them. He has the two captured by his guards and set to be imprisoned, but Sofina tells the guards to execute them.
Holga fights off the guards to allow herself and Edgin to escape once again. They decide that they need to plan a heist to get Kira out of Forge’s castle, but they need a team. With the Highsun Games coming up, other lords from other kingdoms will bring their riches together to Forge’s vault, where the Tablet is, and they can use the riches to pay their team.

Edgin and Holga go looking for Simon, who is performing magic tricks for entertainment. He uses the tricks as a diversion while casting a spell to steal the audience’s gold and trinkets. The people go after him, so Simon uses the spells he knows to try and escape, nearly getting himself killed until he runs into Edgin and Holga. He is onboard with taking down Forge, but he reminds the two that the place will be heavily guarded. Simon then tells them of someone he knows who can help. The three go to find Doric, a young druid that Simon had tried to court, but Doric found him unappealing. They watch as a young woman is set to be executed by having her limbs pulled off by a horse, only the horse turns out to be Doric in disguise. She transforms into her Owl-Bear form and knocks the villains around before freeing the woman. Afterwards, the trio approaches Doric, who does not trust humans because her own family abandoned her for being a tiefling. She gives her own reasoning for wanting to take down Forge, since he had her people imprisoned or killed for questioning his rule, so she wants to fight for the other druids.

In her quarters, Sofina speaks to her master, the lich Szass Tam. He entrusts her with their ultimate plan, which Sofina hopes to use Forge in succeeding with their ultimate goal. Afterward, Sofina joins Forge as he meets with other lords to discuss plans for the Highsun Games, but Sofina detects the presence of Doric, who has shapeshifted into a fly to spy on Forge’s meeting. Forge’s guards go after her, but she manages to change shape to whatever works for her so she can escape and return to the rest of the team. Doric reports to them that Forge’s vault is protected by the Arcane Seal of Mordenkainen, which Simon does not think he is strong enough to break through, unless he were to possess the Helmet of Disjunction, which is said to have gone missing ages ago. However, Holga says she knows where the Helmet may be because her people fought the Cult of the Dragon, so they may know where it went. The only problem is they’re all dead.

The group stops at the home of Holga’s ex-husband Marlamin so that she may collect some items she needs. While Marlamin has moved on (to another barbarian woman), he wishes Holga well despite their differences. The team arrives at a graveyard full of bodies that fought in the Evermoors long ago. With Simon’s magic, the bodies are only able to stay alive for up to five questions asked to them. They have to go through multiple corpses to find out where the Helmet of Disjunction went since many of the warriors died passing it onto one another. The last corpse they speak to tells them that the Helmet was passed on to a Thayan, where the Red Wizards come from, named Xenk Yendar, who promised to keep it safe. Edgin doesn’t trust Thayans since they killed Zia, but Simon and Doric have heard of Xenk’s stories as a paladin, and even Holga is able to back up the stories of his heroics.

The team shows up to witness some of Xenk’s heroics when he rescues a tiger child from a sea creature that swallowed it. They meet with him after to ask him to help take down Forge. He brings them together to explain the history of the Red Wizards – Szass Tam planned to raise an undead army by enslaving the people of the land. Xenk ponders as to what Forge would gain if he is working with the Red Wizards. Xenk only agrees to join the team when Edgin agrees to distribute Forge’s wealth among the people of Neverwinter.
On their way to the Helmet, Xenk talks about how he witnessed the unholy power of Szass Tam and how it corrupted good people to be slaves to evil, which is why he moved away from the way of the Red Wizards and used his skills for good. Xenk just managed to escape the Red Wizards’ spell, which is why he bears a mark on his forehead. He brings the others down a hole called The Orifice where the Helmet is located in an underground city. They must cross a chasm, but Simon accidentally triggers a mechanism that causes the bridge to collapse. Luckily, Holga is carrying what she thought was a cane, but Simon finds that it is called a Hither-Thither Staff, which opens portals and allows them to make it safely across the chasm.

Once the group reaches the Helmet, they are confronted by Thayans. Xenk fights them, but since they are undead, they don’t stay down. As they run, they are found by the very fat dragon, Themberchaud, who chases them after devouring the Thayans. Edgin is nearly eaten until Xenk stabs the dragon in the head. Unfortunately, it doesn’t die and traps the heroes in a cavern that begins filling with water. Edgin comes up with a plan for Holga to provoke Themberchaud before Simon uses a spell to blast a hole in the cavern and allow them to swim to the surface. After making it to the shore, Xenk bids the others farewell as he returns home. Simon attempts to take control of the Helmet, finding himself meeting his ancestor, Elminster Aumar, who doubts Simon’s capabilities and doesn’t allow him to attune with it. Simon keeps trying for hours but continues to get rejected. The team’s morale is brought down, and Simon and Doric plan to leave, but Edgin does his best to keep their spirits up. However, he admits to them that it’s his fault that Zia died because he stole gold from the Red Wizards, which is why they went after him. With Holga’s encouragement, the team comes up with a new plan to break into Forge’s vault by using the Staff to make their way inside.

The team uses a portrait to open one portal as a carriage of Forge’s treasures makes its way into Neverwinter for the start of the Highsun Games. While they manage to sneak in, the entrance to the portal gets blocked when the portrait falls facedown on the floor. Edgin encourages them to proceed by improvising. Simon uses a brief illusion of Edgin playing a song to distract the guards, but it starts to go wrong when Simon gets his foot stuck. Once inside, Holga fights more guards while Simon tries once more to attune with the Helmet. Elminster confronts him again and attempts to reject him once more, but Simon punches him, and this allows him to attune with the Helmet. He uses his newfound magic capabilities to help fight the guards. Simon and Holga find the vault, but it is empty, making the team realize Forge moved his riches somewhere else. They, plus Doric, get incapacitated and captured. Edgin is tricked by Sofina posing as Kira. When Forge comes in, he plans to have them all locked up, but Edgin suggests that Forge allow them to compete in the Games, to which Sofina agrees but for the possibility that they will die there.

When they are put out in the coliseum, Doric mentions to the team that she saw the guards moving the riches to a boat, meaning that Forge is just trying to steal riches from the others attending the Games. The event starts, with the team competing alongside others as they are put through a treacherous maze filled with creatures and traps, like the infamous gelatinous cube. While the other players are not very lucky, Doric comes up with a plan to allow her and her friends to teleport out of there. The heroes makes it to the dock where they find the boat with Forge’s riches and the riches stolen by him. He brings Kira as he tries to make her think Edgin is going to run away again, but after Edgin explains himself, Forge shows his true colors to Kira by holding a knife to her throat so that the heroes may step back from the riches. Holga throws a potato at his face, causing him to let Kira go. She joins her father and his friends as they hop on the boat and steal the riches, with Simon using a spell to cause a wave of water to hit Forge. Kira forgives Edgin as they reconcile.

Just as they are setting sail, the heroes witness a dark cloud forming in the sky as Sofina is setting her plan into motion, which is to use a Thayan horn, the one that Edgin and Holga got arrested for stealing, to enslave all the attendees of the Games as part of the Red Wizard army. The team makes their way back to Neverwinter to put a stop to Sofina. While she succeeds in getting the members of the Neverwinter council, the heroes return, and Simon uses the Staff to make a portal from the boat to the hot air balloon, causing all the riches from the boat to spill out into the streets and causing the people to run out of the coliseum, foiling Sofina’s plan. The Red Wizard catches the heroes and battles them, using her spell to get a large stone dragon to attack them. While she uses other traps and trick, the team bombards Sofina with attacks before she seems to stop them using the same time-freezing spell she used against them before. She gloats about her victory until it turns out she was the one tricked, because Kira used a medallion that causes her to become invisible so that they can strap a magic-suppressing cuff on her as Simon countered her spell. Doric turns into her Owl-Bear form to thrash Sofina around before hurling her into a wall that crumbles and finally crushes her. While the team celebrates their victory, they find that Holga was mortally wounded in the fight, and she dies. Kira weeps over her, and Edgin realizes Holga was the closest thing Kira had to a mom growing up, so he decides to use the Tablet of Reawakening to revive Holga. The team joins the citizens to celebrate the end of the games and their forming of a new family. Meanwhile, Forge tries to run for it but is captured by Xenk.

Later on, Lord Neverember reawakens since Sofina is gone, and he awards the heroes medals for saving Neverwinter. Forge is imprisoned and tries to make an appeal for his pardon by telling his own tragic backstory, but the Council doesn’t care for it. He finds Jarnathan and attempts to fly out again, but the Council made sure to move the meeting to a room with no windows, so Forge just charges into a wall.

## Cast

* Chris Pine as Edgin Darvis, a bard and former member of the Harpers. After his wife was murdered, he raised his daughter Kira with his friend Holga. In prison with Holga following a heist gone wrong, he plots their escape in hopes of being reunited with his daughter.
* Michelle Rodriguez as Holga Kilgore, a barbarian who was exiled from the Uthgardt Elk Tribe. She acts as a surrogate mother for Kira and is imprisoned with Edgin.
* Regé-Jean Page as Xenk Yendar, a paladin who narrowly escaped the lich Szass Tam's "rise to power" in Thay and as a result, "ages more slowly than a normal human".
	+ Rylan Jackson as young Xenk.
* Justice Smith as Simon Aumar, a wild magic sorcerer who is the descendent of Elminster Aumar, a notable wizard.
* Sophia Lillis as Doric, a tiefling Druid raised in the Neverwinter Wood by a wood elf enclave. She is a member of the Emerald Enclave and has organized a resistance against the Lord of Neverwinter who targeted the forest "for its resources".
* Hugh Grant as Forge Fitzwilliam, an ambitious rogue and con artist. He is a former member of Edgin's crew and has been taking care of Kira. Since Edgin's imprisonment, he's become the Lord of Neverwinter, gained great wealth and received counsel from Sofina.
* Chloe Coleman as Kira Darvis, Edgin's daughter who has fallen under the sway of Forge, her guardian for two years following her father's imprisonment.
* Daisy Head as Sofina, a Red Wizard of Thay with a focus in necromancy and "ties to Thay's tyrannical magocracy".
* Jason Wong as Dralas, a Red Wizard of Thay

## Production

On May 7, 2013, Warner Bros. Pictures and Courtney Solomon's Sweetpea Entertainment announced a film based on *Dungeons & Dragons* with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick writing the script and Roy Lee, Alan Zeman, and Solomon producing. Two days later, Hasbro issued a lawsuit saying that they were co-producing a *Dungeons & Dragons* film at Universal Pictures with Chris Morgan writing and directing. On August 3, 2015, after U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee urged Sweetpea Entertainment and Hasbro to settle the film rights case, the Warner Bros. film was set for pre-production with Hasbro. On March 31, 2016, Rob Letterman was in negotiations to direct Johnson-McGoldrick‘s script, In April 2017, actor Joe Manganiello, an avid fan of *Dungeons & Dragons*, revealed that he had written a script with John Cassel for the project and was "talking to all the right parties" to make the film happen. Upon completing the script, Manganiello worked in collaboration with Brad Peyton and Dwayne Johnson, who were both in negotiations to develop the film.

In December 2017, after varying degrees of progression, the film was moved by Hasbro to Paramount Pictures and was scheduled for a release date of July 23, 2021. In February 2018, Paramount was in talks with both Chris McKay and Michael Gilio to direct and write the film, respectively. In March 2019, it was revealed that Gilio had completed a first draft and studio executives expressed excitement for the film. The studio began negotiations with various talent, as the casting process began. On July 30, 2019, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were in talks to direct. By January 2020, the filmmaking duo announced that they had co-written a new draft of the script. Ultimately, Daley, Goldstein, and Gilio received screenplay credit, while McKay and Gilio received story credit.

### Casting

On June 27, 2016, Ansel Elgort was in talks to star in Letterman's iteration of the film. On December 14, 2020, Chris Pine was cast to star in the film. In February 2021, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, and Regé-Jean Page joined the film. In March 2021, Hugh Grant and Sophia Lillis joined the film, with Grant cast as the antagonists. In April 2021, Chloe Coleman joined the ensemble cast. In May 2021, Jason Wong and Daisy Head joined the cast. In July 2022, at a panel at San Diego Comic Con, it was revealed that cast members from the *Dungeons & Dragons* web series "*Critical Role*" would make cameo appearances in the film. Rylan Jackson joined the cast.

### Filming

Filming began in early April 2021, with a crew of 60-70 people in Iceland. Principal photography commenced in Belfast, Northern Ireland later that month. On August 19, 2021, Daley announced that filming had completed.

## Release

The film was originally set to be released on July 23, 2021. The release date was subsequently moved to November 19, 2021, to accommodate the release of *Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One*, before being pushed back further to May 27, 2022, due to COVID-19. In April 2021, the release date was further delayed to March 3, 2023. On April 21, 2022, the official title of the film was announced as *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves*. In November 2022, the movie was delayed to March 31, 2023.

Paramount will distribute the movie worldwide, although distribution in the United Kingdom and Canada will be handled by Entertainment One.

## Marketing

### Promotion

In July 2022, *Honor Among Thieves* was featured at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC); this included a panel with members of the cast and crew and a "Tavern Experience". The "Tavern Experience" showcased characters of the film. A teaser trailer was released on July 21, 2022, on the same date as the film's SDCC panel. Its soundtrack has excerpts from Led Zeppelin's *Whole Lotta Love*. The "Tavern Experience" was then featured at CCXP in December 2022 and showcased various monsters from *Dungeons & Dragons*. In March 2023, Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez appeared at the annual *Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards* to promote Honor Among Thieves. At the awards, they were introduced and showed an exclusive look at the film.

### Tie-in literature and merchandise

A prequel publishing campaign following various of the film's characters is scheduled to be released in February 2023 before the release of *Honor Among Thieves*. Doric will be the main character in the upcoming young adult novel *The Druid’s Call* (2023) by E.K. Johnston and while *The Road to Neverwinter* (2023) adult novel by Jaleigh Johnson will focus on Edgin Darvis. *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves—The Feast of the Moon* is an upcoming 96-page prequel graphic novel which will focus on Edgin and his band of thieves. It will be written by Jeremy Lambert and Ellen Boener and drawn by Eduardo Ferigato and Guillermo Sanna.

## Future

In February 2022, a spin-off television series was announced to be in development. A part of a "multi-pronged approach" for television projects, the show is described as the "flagship" and "cornerstone" live-action series, of the multiple projects in development; while the series will "complement" the film side of the franchise. Rawson Marshall Thurber is set to serve as creator, writer, executive producer, and showrunner and the series, in addition to directing the pilot episode. Various networks and streaming companies are bidding on distribution rights.

## External links

* Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
* Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - IMDb

## Gallery

* Posters
* Promotional
* Character portraits
* Videos

Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves (2023 Movie) - Title AnnouncementDungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - Tavern at San Diego Comic-Con (2023 Movie)Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - Official Trailer (2023 Movie)Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - An Epic Journey (2023 Movie)Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - NEW Trailer (2023 Movie)Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - Big Game Spot (2023 Movie)Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - Questions For A Corpse Clip (2023 Movie)Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - Meet The Creatures (2023 Movie)Dungeons & Dragons- Honor Among Thieves - Final Trailer (2023 Movie)
## References

1. ↑ Alberta - Recently rated movies
2. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
3. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
4. ↑ Warner Bros Acquires Rights To Make 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie
5. ↑ Rights Battle On 'Dungeons & Dragons': Warner Bros and Universal/Hasbro Tangle
6. ↑ UPDATE: Producer Fires Back In 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie Rights Dispute
7. ↑ 'Dungeons & Dragons' Universal Movie & Hasbro Get Counterclaim From Producer
8. ↑ Producer Seeks 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie Rights Case Dismissed
9. ↑ 'Dungeons & Dragons' Trial Ends; Will Warner Bros Or Universal Cast Magic Sequel Spell?
10. ↑ 'Dungeons & Dragons' Legal Settlement Paves Way for New Movie
11. ↑ {Exclusive} "Goosebumps" Director Rob Letterman Ready To Play "Dungeons & Dragons" At Warner Bros.<ref>'Goosebumps' Helmer to Direct 'Dungeons and Dragons' for Warner Bros.
12. ↑ Joe Manganiello's Dungeons and Dragons Script Could Save the Day
13. ↑ 'Rampage': Dwayne Johnson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan & Joe Manganiello on the Video Game Curse
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Paramount Sets 'G.I. Joe,' 'Dungeons & Dragons' Release Dates
15. ↑ 'Nightwing' Director Eyed for 'Dungeons & Dragons' at Paramount and AllSpark Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)
16. ↑ EXCLUSIVE: Paramount's 'DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS' Gets a New Script, Search for Lead Begins
17. ↑ Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley in Talks to Direct 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie
18. ↑ This just in... #dnd
19. ↑ 'Dungeons & Dragons' Film Moves Forward With Deal With Former Marvel Exec Jeremy Latcham
20. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons
21. ↑ Ansel Elgort in Talks to Star in 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie
22. ↑ Chris Pine To Star In 'Dungeons & Dragons' For eOne And Paramount; Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley Direct
23. ↑ Michelle Rodriguez And Justice Smith Join Chris Pine in Hasbro And Paramount's 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie
24. ↑ 'Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page Joins 'Dungeons & Dragons'
25. ↑ Hugh Grant To Play Villain in Paramount And eOne's Untitled 'Dungeons & Dragons' Pic; 'It' Star Sophia Lillis Also On Board
26. ↑ 'My Spy's Chloe Coleman Joins Chris Pine In Paramount and eOne's Untitled 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie
27. ↑ Lucy Freyer Boards Owen Wilson Comedy 'Paint'; Jason Wong Joins Untitled 'D&D' Movie
28. ↑ 'Shadow and Bone's Daisy Head Joins Untitled 'Dungeons and Dragons' Movie; Paul Johansson Cast In 'God Is A Bullet' – Film Casting Briefs
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 The New Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves Trailer Breaks Down the Door
30. ↑ Andrew Scott & Others Join Netflix’s ‘Back In Action’ With Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz
31. ↑ Part of 'Dungeons & Dragons' Filmed in Iceland
32. ↑ 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie With Chris Pine and Regé-Jean Page Begins Filming
33. ↑ Inside Rege-Jean Page's 'Bridgerton' Departure
34. ↑ Wrapped D&D today! Still alive!
35. ↑ Paramount Dates Next Two Installments Of Powerhouse Franchise 'Mission: Impossible' For 2021 & 2022
36. ↑ 'Mission: Impossible 7' Opening In Pre-Thanksgiving Period 2021; 'Tomorrow War' Eyes Next Summer: Paramount Release Date Changes
37. ↑ 'Top Gun: Maverick,' 'Mission: Impossible 7' Among Latest Paramount Delays
38. ↑ Paramount & eOne's 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie Gets Title
39. ↑ 'Scream 6' And 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Release Dates Shuffled By Paramount
40. ↑ Rawson Marshall Thurber to Spearhead Flagship 'Dungeons & Dragons' TV Series for eOne
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Comic-Con Panel and Tavern Experience Officially Announced
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Will Appear at SDCC's Hall H
43. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Official Trailer (2023 Movie)
44. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons Movie Recreated Classic Monsters As Gorgeous Statues.
45. ↑ The Dungeons & Dragons Movie Is Getting 2 Prequel Novels
46. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Prequel Books Announced
47. ↑ Chris Pine Heads to Dungeons & Dragons' Other Famous City in a New Movie Tie-In
48. ↑ IDW Reveals Dungeons & Dragons Movie Prequel Comic (Exclusive)
49. ↑ IDW to publish Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves graphic novel prequel to the film
50. ↑ Rawson Marshall Thurber To Spearhead Flagship 'Dungeons & Dragons' TV Series For eOne