
Dungeons and Dragons' aims to recapture 80s film magicThe makers of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves wanted their blockbuster to be a throwback to the classic family films of the 1980s.
by Agence France-Presse
27-03-2023 08:37
in Entertainment
Image from Twitter by Jerome!
More jokes and less reliance on computer effects the makers of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves wanted their blockbuster to be a throwback to the classic family films of the 1980s.
--
In transferring the beloved role-playing game to the big screen, directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein said they wanted the mix of earnest fun and absurd comedy of their childhood favourites like Raiders of the Lost Ark , The Goonies and The Princess Bride .
They were also bored of overly serious fantasy fare.
We've seen stoic, humorless portrayals of fantasy characters in almost every other film and television show, and this was our reaction against that, Daley told reporters in Paris.
--
ALSO READ | BAFTA red carpet rolls out for All Quiet' and Banshees'
The film stars Chris Pine as a reformed thief, with Hugh Grant as a slimy villain and Bridgerton heart-throb Rege-Jean Page in a scene-stealing turn as warrior Xenk, who is completely impervious to irony or sarcasm.
Pine has experience with cherished fantasy properties, having played Captain Kirk in the recent Star Trek reboots, but said he was unafraid of upsetting the D&D fanbase.
--
One should be wary of taking anything on, especially with the internet now being so angry and loud and acerbic, he told AFP.
But we made a really fun film and we've heard we've put enough in there for diehards, and even people who have never played are surprised how much they like it.
ALSO READ | The Queer Superhero sings their love letter to the queer community
Gelatinous Cube' It helps that Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game in which players to a certain extent make up the story as they go along.
We weren't beholden to anything other than satisfying certain desires of audiences to see a Gelatinous Cube or an Owlbear, said Pine, referring to two of the game's more bizarre creatures.
And the fact that it is a critical hit suggests they have pulled it off. IndieWire declared that its heartfelt story, enchanting characters, dazzling visual effects, and fun-filled nature will allow the film to be a treasured classic .
The directors, who made their names as writers on comedy Horrible Bosses and Spiderman: Homecoming , said the script was a priority.
ALSO READ | Babes secures' Uthando Lodumo: Life After Mampintsha'?
And that was oddly not very common in the world of blockbusters, said Daley.
Often you hear from studios: It's greenlit, let's get to work, we'll fix the script along the way.' And that's a really shortsighted way of working.
Puppets and real-life effects were used where possible to recreate the feel of classic films.
Audiences have gotten a little tired of over-reliance on CGI (computer-generated images), said Goldstein.
Pine's genius' As for Grant, he said he was relieved to no longer be playing the hero.
ALSO READ | Ant-Man': stumbles but still tops North America box office
No one wants to play the good guy, the British actor told AFP.
That's why Chris Pine is such a genius because he isn't annoying or nauseating or too-good-to-be-true.
Co-star Michelle Rodriguez, known for action franchises such as Fast and Furious , was grateful for some softer scenes between the action set pieces.
My favourite part was being able to grow some armpit hair and fight, she said.
But as I get older, it comes more naturally to be softer. The soft power of a woman is not exploited enough, especially in action movie world.
By Eric Randolph Agence France-Presse
How much of a rugby fanatic are you? FIVE simple answers could win you R1 000 in cash!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
02/07/2026
Maxon Autograph: Introduction to working with Tables
Simon Ubsdell July 1, 2026
0 Comments
An overview of Autograph's ridiculously powerful tables...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
02/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Med Tech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might thin...
02/07/2026
Summer is heating up - and GeForce NOW is taking players along for the ride.
Start the month with Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains, bringing a galaxy fa...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...