The upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie actually takes inspiration from the Marvel Cinematic Universe style. Intending to be the equivalent of a D&D campaign brought to life, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves follows a party of ridiculous misfits as they attempt to solve a worldwide threat with only their own small band of heroes to help them. The movie borrows from D&D lore and relies on a star-studded cast, including Chris Pine (Edgin), Michelle Rodriguez (Holga), Regé-Jean Page (Xenk), Justice Smith (Simon), Sophia Lillis (Doric), and Hugh Grant (Forge).
While Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is following its own lore and narrative, it hasn’t shied away from borrowing from other popular films. Like the character of Tony Stark was inspired by Elon Musk and Howard Hughes, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has been borrowing the MCU’s style of comedy and its method of balancing that comedy with high stakes. In an interview with Total Film (via CBR), director Jonathan Goldstein reveals just how much of a role the MCU played in developing Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Check out his quote below:
“[Not] a lot of these types of movies that we could rely on because who has done the fantasy/comedy/action-adventure movie? There aren’t many of those out there. [With the MCU], you’re always on a fun ride, and you’re laughing,” said Goldstein. “But there’s world-ending stakes in all of them, too, and that was the target we were aiming for.”
Why Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Needs Comedy
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If Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves intends to perfectly replicate a D&D campaign, then the humor has to come at just the right moments. Just as the D&D creators made sure the lore was right in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, they also need to ensure that the movie feels like it has the same atmosphere as a game session. With high stakes that can lead to world-bending consequences, there needs to be an element that breaks down the tension and offers the chance to relax and settle in, which is exactly what its comedic style is intending to do.
With so many conflicting members of a D&D party, there will always be tension within the team. In Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the characters all have remarkably different personalities, and each character also has a unique D&D class, with the movie featuring a Bard, Barbarian, Paladin, Druid, Rogue, and Sorcerer. A Paladin will rarely be able to get along with a Rogue perfectly, thanks to their varying moral compasses, so the party offers the perfect opportunity for comedy. If the film fails to capitalize on that dynamic, it would be a disservice to the characters.
What Lessons D&D: Honor Among Thieves Can Take From The MCU
![An angry dragon flying in D&D Honor Among Thieves](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/screen-shot-2023-01-12-at-14-13-34-1.jpg)
Besides the MCU’s distinct sense of humor, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves can learn from the MCU’s ability to balance massive casts. Guardians of the Galaxy is essentially a D&D campaign already with the same tone that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves should hope to emulate. With the Druid Groot, the Bard Quill, the Rogue Gamora, Artificer Rocket, and Barbarian Drax, it essentially has everything that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves could learn to develop its team. Each character even has its own arc. If Chris Pine’s Bard can be as funny as Quill, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will be everything it needs to be.
Key Release Dates
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Release Date:2023-03-31