Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Directors 'Couldn't Care Less' If Audiences Start Playing D&D [Exclusive]

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley's upcoming fantasy film "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," due in theaters on March 31, will be the fourth live-action film to be based on the celebrated role-playing game first published by Gary Gygax and Dave Arenson in 1974. The game version of "Dungeons & Dragons" has had a colorful and fraught history, offering a popular activity that both nerds and metalheads could enjoy, while also often attracting the ire of right-wing censorship groups who felt its themes of magic and pretend were somehow damaging the minds of the nation's youth.

It remains popular to this day, periodically appearing in popular media. It was featured in an episode of the short-lived but beloved 1999 TV series "Freaks and Geeks" which, maybe not incidentally, starred co-director Daley when he was 14. More recently, the characters on "Stranger Things" played a "Dungeons & Dragons" campaign, ostensibly bringing the game into the field of vision of a new generation.

For those unfamiliar with "D&D," it's a game wherein players, poring over books and stat sheets, create their own characters based on certain classes and professions. Once several characters have been built by several players, a Dungeon Master then invents a quest or a story for the players to complete. The quest will, according to the players' instincts and whims, change as the game is played. Some "D&D" campaigns are designed to continue indefinitely. Some can be played in a single evening.

The new movie may or may not guide neophytes to "D&D," and it turns out that Daley and Goldstein don't much care. In a recent interview with /Film's own Eric Vespe, the filmmakers were more concerned about making a great movie. Placating fans and guiding noobs to "D&D" was a distant concern.

Fan service, Jonathan Goldstein seems to have pointed out, can be an alienating experience for outsiders. While there may have been a way to make a "Dungeons & Dragons" feature that was nothing but in-jokes and deep-cut references that only old-world fans of the game might be able to spot, it was vital that the filmmakers speak to filmgoers merely seeking a light adventure movie. It can be a mistake to spend too much time worldbuilding describing lore. If the film is interesting enough, that's enough. Goldstein said:

"The fact that you don't really know the game but you seem to have enjoyed the movie is crucial. The movie is too expensive, frankly, to just appeal to fans. It has to cross the line and convert other people. I don't really care if they then go and play the game. That's their own decision. But I just want it to be something that you can enjoy and access without knowing the lore at all."

The lore of "Dungeons & Dragons" is far too complex to include in a single feature film anyway. It's a game that has been published and republished multiple times over the last 50 years, each time inventing new kingdoms, new classes of warriors, new weapons, new monsters, and new elements of gameplay. A filmmaker eager to adhere to the game's mythology would have to begin by asking which version of the game they wanted to adapt. And then figure out the skill levels of each character, their possessions, etc. And if one is going to all that trouble, they may be better off merely playing the game.

John Francis Daley did say that, despite making a movie first, people would still perhaps find their way to "Dungeons & Dragons" regardless. The game, it seems, is very dear to Daley, and knowing that a new swath of people might be playing it will likely fill his heart with warmth. But the director noted he didn't want the film to function solely in that fashion. Indeed, if he had, "Honor Among Thieves" would have been no different from "Mac & Me," "The Wizard," or "Space Jam," that is to say, feature-length advertisements for consumer products. Ultimately, the number of people playing "D&D" can change or not, so long as the movie is enjoyed. Daley said:

"Look, it was never our imperative to make a commercial for 'Dungeons & Dragons.' We frankly couldn't care less what the uptick is of people starting to play, but I will say as a lover of the game, there is something so special about it that brings people together in a way that no other game has or can. And this was definitely an attempt to capture the spirit of it, regardless of if you know that it is or not."

/Fim's early review out of SXSW, written by Senior News Editor Jacob Hall, declared "Honor Among Thieves" to be lighthearted and fun, inviting comparisons to Rob Reiner's 1987 film "The Princess Bride." It seems that Daley and Goldstein have captured something special. Whether or not that is the "true spirit" of D&D doesn't much matter. Like any game, the important part is just to have a good time.