John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves didn’t exactly set the box office on fire, but thanks to passionate fan support, the swords-and-sorcery adventure based on the beloved tabletop RPG quickly became one of the biggest surprises of 2023. While those of us with an appreciation for the finer things in life continue to await news on a proper follow-up, the directing duo says Hasbro remains determined to hunt down a new home for Dungeons & Dragons 2.
During a recent appearance on The Discourse Podcast, Daley and Goldstein told The Playlist’s Mike DeAngelo that they have officially completed the screenplay for a D&D sequel. Although budget concerns still loom large over the prospective blockbuster, they remain optimistic about continuing the franchise.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Goldstein said when asked if anyone was trying to crunch the numbers after Paramount-Skydance passed on the project due to financial constraints. “I think Hasbro is a big believer in it, and if they can figure out a studio partner to make it work, they’ll want to proceed. As are our producers.”
Opening up about the creative potential of returning to the campaign trail, Daley emphasized his eagerness to resurrect the world and characters of the original film.
“I mean, look, it’s something that is near and dear to our hearts in that we loved making the first one,” Daley explained. “We fell in love with the characters, and there’s so much potential in a sequel because the first act isn’t filled with exposition or introduction to this family that we’ve already become accustomed to. So you can kind of launch right into the story, which is really nice.”
Daley also addressed the slate of bad luck surrounding the original film’s release window, acknowledging that Honor Among Thieves was hit by a “perfect storm” of outside forces:
“It came out four days before the Super Mario movie, which broke records. It came out a month after Wizards of the Coast changed the official gaming license, prompting many D&D fans to boycott the game, and I don’t think the marketing did enough to tell people who weren’t already fans that this movie might be for them. Yeah, so it was a perfect storm of all of those elements, and we’ll see.”
While we wait for Hasbro to find a studio partner willing to roll the dice on a return to Faerûn, Daley and Goldstein are already reminding audiences why they’ve become two of the best genre-blending storytellers in Hollywood. Their new Cold War action-comedy Mayday debuts on Apple TV+ today, bringing that same knack for character dynamics and sharp-witted action to a brand-new setting.
If there were any doubts about whether Daley and Goldstein could keep delivering top-tier crowd-pleasers while D&D 2 hangs in the balance, our own Alex Maidy put those to rest in his 9 out of 10 review, calling Mayday “easily the best movie not hitting the big screen this year and one of the best streaming-only releases I can think of.” Alex added that “Ryan Reynolds has proven he can partner with virtually anyone and make it into movie magic, but his chemistry with Kenneth Branagh ranks up there alongside his work with Hugh Jackman… Mayday ranks as one of my top ten movies of this summer and could crack my end-of-year list as well.”
Whether they’re steering a high-flying Cold War bromance or building party chemistry in a high-fantasy campaign, Daley and Goldstein consistently prove that they know how to deliver fun, character-first entertainment. Here’s hoping Hollywood realizes it sooner rather than later so we can get this party back in the dungeon.
Would you be game for Dungeons & Dragons 2? Have you checked out Mayday yet? Sound off in the comments section below!