The stars of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves compare the movie’s spells to those performed by Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is set to follow a charismatic thief and his band of misfits on their journey to find a lost relic while encountering countless magical enemies along the way. In the same way as it borrows its plot from prior Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, Honor Among Thieves is set to showcase all the spells and charms that the D&D universes are known for in a way that few other movies have, including the Doctor Strange films.
In an interview with Collider, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves actors Justice Smith and Regé-Jean Page, respectively playing Simon and Xenk in the film, discussed just how they used real-world techniques to come up with the film’s casting gestures, with Page making reference to Doctor Strange’s magic. Check out their quotes below:
SMITH: I do a lot of spell casting in the film, and I worked with this lovely choreographer to create unique gestures for each spell. And I know a bit of sign language, so I try to incorporate that [into] it. Whatever the spell does, I try to incorporate the word in sign language into the gesture of this spell. Not for every gesture.
PAGE: Take that, Dr. Strange. He’s actually spelling words.
SMITH: I hate [in] movies, when they have magic powers, and they just go like this [gestures vaguely with hand]. I was like, ‘I want everything to be unique and creative.’ So, remembering which spoken word of the spell goes with which gesture, and at what time. I guess it wasn’t difficult. That was just fun, but I think Regé found it difficult to learn that.
Everything We Know About Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Smith’s comments highlight his commitment to the film, a sentiment that seems to be shared by the rest of its star-studded cast. Alongside Page and Smith, Chris Pine (Star Trek) will be appearing as Edgin, a smooth-talking and charismatic Bard. Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious) is taking up the role of Holga, a Barbarian warrior relying on strength and courage to push through every fight. The final two members of the party are Sophia Lillis (It), as the tiefling Druid Doric, and Hugh Grant (Love Actually), as Forge Fitzwilliam, the charming thieving Rogue.
Though the story of Honor Among Thieves is still mysterious, the Dungeons & Dragons movie promises to hold to a key TTRPG problem by setting the conflicting morals of the party against each other. Xenk, as a Paladin, will be facing off against the sticky-fingered Forge, while the serious Holga will be at odds with her partner, the arrogant Edgin. Considering the presence of a tiefling, a member of an often-maligned partly demonic race, Xenk will have to work through many moral questions as he resolves his own moral conflicts.
Since it is borrowing heavily from the campaigns, there is some cause for concern that the film may lean too much into the D&D world. Though Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves hasn’t released its run time, it’s possible the movie may feel rushed if it is attempting to force an entire campaign into a short time frame. Considering the party will be visiting many classic D&D locations, there may just be too much content to fit in without the entire movie feeling rushed.
Key Release Dates
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Release Date:2023-03-31
