The Dungeons & Dragons Sequel: What We Know So Far
We look at the latest new around the possibility of Honor Among Thieves 2
As a big screen adaptation of the world’s most popular role playing game, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was a genuine critical hit among both audiences and reviewers alike, currently sitting at a solid 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Combining humor, action, Hollywood A-listers, and plenty of fan service, the 2023 film has all the hallmarks of a possible big screen franchise.
So is Hollywood ready to roll the dice on a possible D&D sequel? We look at everything we know so far.
Will There Be a Dungeons & Dragons Sequel?
As of December 2023 a D&D sequel has not been confirmed. That being said, there is the possibility it may happen. In fact, in a recent interview with GamesRadar+, actor Chris Pine indicated that: “I’ve heard some rumors about it, but I don’t know anything yet. But I feel pretty confident that it may happen.” That news – and Pine’s confidence – sent a ripple through the online fan community, who had largely assumed that any chances of a sequel were slim to none.
In fact, in an August 2023 interview with Variety, Paramount CEO Brian Robbins explained that there is interest in making Honor Among Thieves 2, but the biggest challenges is budget. “We’ve got to figure out a way to make it for less,” Robbins said in the interview.
That’s because despite the positive reception, the film made just $208 million, according to revenue tracker Box Office Mojo. For a much smaller film, that would be a resounding success. Unfortunately, the D&D movie cost over $150 million to make. Throw in marketing costs and the cut of revenue given to theatres, and Honor Among Thieves would need to make $350 million just to break even. In other words, it’s considered a financial flop by Hollywood standards and, if Paramount did decide to produce a Dungeons & Dragons sequel, it would require a significantly reduced budget.
It’s also worth noting that Honor Among Thieves was never meant to be the start of a franchise. In fact, in a May 2023 interview with Polygon, the co-directors and co-screenwriters of the film, John Frances Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, stated that they always saw it as a standalone film. Daley notes that “The cardinal mistake many studios make is to put the cart before the horse, where they start crafting a cinematic universe before they even make a good single film. So first and foremost for us was getting this right.”
That being said, the two filmmakers said they would definitely be on board for a sequel, ideally with the same characters and a continuation of their adventures from Honor Among Thieves. As with so many things in Hollywood, however, it all comes down to whether or not the dollars make sense.
What is the Potential Release Date for a D&D Sequel?
Hollywood has been attempting to make a Dungeons & Dragons movies for decades, with their first attempt resulting in the disastrous 2000 film. Honor Among Thieves has also been in various stages of production since 2013 and was almost shut down numerous times due to legal and financial issues until Paramount officially gave the greenlight to begin production in 2021. In many ways, it’s a miracle that the film was made at all and that it turned out to be so good.
The development of the script, principal photography and the editing process all took several years to complete. The 2023 Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes also resulted in numerous film projects being backlogged, which could make producing Honor Among Thieves 2 even more challenging.
Combine these factors together and that means that even if Paramount were to greenlight a sequel it would likely be several years from that point before a Dungeons & Dragons sequel hit the big screen.
Will the Honor Among Thieves Cast Return in the Sequel?
Hollywood A-lister Chris Pine is no stranger to sequels as he’s appeared as Captain James Kirk in multiple Star Trek movies and Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman and its sequel. And Paramount was willing to pay handsomely for his appearance in Honor Among Thieves, with Pine raking in a reported $11.5 million for his role as Elgin the bard according to Variety. Given that we know budget is a concern for Paramount, that’s a hefty chunk of change that might be hard to justify spending in a D&D sequel film. When asked by GamesRadar+ if he’d be happy to return to the role, Pine responded: “Absolutely.”
Similarly, actress Michelle Rodriguez is also someone who is more than familiar with Hollywood franchises, having appeared in numerous Fast and Furious films. She was reportedly paid $2 million for her role in the D&D film. Again, it might be hard for Paramount to justify that salary in a possible sequel.
That being said, all of the cast have said they would be interested in reprising their roles if the opportunity arose. Whether or not Paramount is willing to pay for their services, however, is a different matter entirely.
What Will Honor Among Thieves 2 Be About?
Currently there is no script for a D&D sequel film. We have, however, had a few tantalizing clues about what could be included in a possible follow-up movie. In an interview, co-writer and co-director John Frances Daley has said: “I think if we were lucky enough to do another one of these, we would want to see our characters level up,” adding that they’d probably stick with the established party, but would likely add some new characters, new locations and new monsters.
There’s also the possibility that the film might look at new D&D settings. “Yeah, you know, we did the Forgotten Realms for this one, partly because it’s kind of a recognizable medieval setting,” co-director Jonathan Goldstein says. “But there are so many worlds within D&D that we could explore.”
“Now that we’ve finished it, and we’re relying on the fates to decide if this thing is a success, we would absolutely love to continue to tell stories in this world,” Daley added. “We think it’s absolutely ripe with potential.”
The two directors have also hinted that the dark elf ranger Drizzt Do’Urden might make an appearance in a sequel.
“Drizzt did come up, actually, as we were figuring out what our first film was going to be,” Daley says. “But the general consensus was to not go there yet. That said, he’s definitely a popular character in the world, and one who could be exciting to explore. There are so many characters in this world. It would be really fun either to have them join the group we’ve established, or do some sort of an offshoot of our film, to get into their backstories.”
So while the story is still in the works, it seems that Daley and Goldstein have plenty of material and inspiration to draw on.
Final Thoughts
While fans are definitely hoping that a Dungeons & Dragons sequel appears sometime in the near future, Hollywood can be a difficult monster to slay, with strikes, budget issues and studio politics to battle. That being said, as of now an Honor Among Thieves 2 is still very much a real possibility.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story and update this page with new information as it’s available.
More D&D News Coverage
For more from the world of Wizards of the Coast, visit our D&D News page.
Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
