OTTplay Now You Know - Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Dungeons & Dragons is arguably one of the most popular board games in the world. Even those who have never played the game would be well aware of its cultural significance through various TV shows such as Community and Stranger Things. The new film adaptation titled Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has surprised both critics and audiences with its writing and well-executed action sequences. The film stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant in prominent roles and is directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.

For this episode of Now You Know, we take a look at lesser-known facts about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

1. First up, did you know that the film's co-director and co-writer John Francis Daley starred in the iconic comedy TV series Freaks and Geeks? His character in the show, Sam Weir, is depicted as someone who is a massive fan of Dungeons & Dragons, and is seen playing the game in the series finale titled, ‘Discos and Dragons’. Talk about seeking inspiration from one’s own personal journey!
2. To adapt one of the most popular games on the big screen wouldn’t be possible without running through the legal process of acquiring the rights to do so. And as it turns out, the rights to own the film was settled after a messy lawsuit, where Warner Bros won the legal battle against Universal Pictures. However, Warner Bros didn’t end up making the film, and the rights to adapt the game into a film was eventually handed over to Paramount Pictures.
3. Several filmmakers were aligned to this historic adaptation but dropped off for prior commitments. To begin with, Pokémon Detective Pikachu Rob Letterman was set to direct the film with Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort in the lead before the project moved over to Paramount Pictures. Then, The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay was later in negotiations to helm the project but he stepped aside in order to direct the 2021 sci-fi action film The Tomorrow War. The film was eventually directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein who also co-wrote the film along with Chris McKay and Michael Gilio
4. How Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley bagged the chance to helm this film is also a story. It all began with a chance meeting between Daley and a literary agent at a sports bar during a Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers game. Daley informed the agent about leaving The Flash, which was not made public at the time by Warner Bros. The agent informed Paramount about this development and both Goldstein and Daley were hired immediately.
5. Did you know or spot the many hidden references to the board game which are packed throughout the film? And the writers have used them to great effect in world-building and to expand the lore of the film. The filmmakers also opened up about using Monty Python as an inspiration. In addition to these hidden references and inspirations, they have also added an Easter egg from Dungeons & Dragons the Animated Series. In the maze sequence in the film, characters from the series can be seen fending off dangerous monsters and obstacles in the maze.
6. The last one on this list will surely take you by surprise. American actor Justice Smith is the only actor in the film who does not use their natural accent. He uses a British accent which is said to be inspired by Tom Sturridge’s performance as Lord Morpheus, the lead character in the hit Netflix series The Sandman. His accent is said to have been so convincing that British actor Hugh Grant couldn’t tell if Smith was British or American, as Smith used the British accent off camera as well. Now when a Brit tells you that you can easily pass for a Brit, it must be true!

Well that's the Now You Know episode for today, until the next time it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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• Written by Ryan Gomez