Making its debut in 1974,Dungeons and Dragonsquickly became a phenomenon, for all the right and wrong reasons. While the actual game wasa groundbreaking tabletop RPG, putting creativity and player freedom above all else, media at the time latched onto the idea thatD&Dwas harmful to kids, apparently encouraging them to turn toward satanism. It’s absurd to think about it now, but for a while this nerdy tabletop game was considered genuinely dangerous. NowDungeons and Dragonsis more popular than ever, with a movie titledDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thievescoming out early next year.
During San Diego Comic Con, Paramount dropped the first trailer forDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and the reception has been positive. TheDungeons and DragonsIP always had incredible movie potential, but over the last few decades its offerings have been laughably poor. But with this trailer, it seems as though theD&Dbrand may finally be in good hands. With tons of Easter eggs and references in the trailer,Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieveslooks like it could be fan-service at its best.
RELATED:What Dungeons and Dragons Can Tell Us About Stranger Things Season 5
Major References In the Dungeons And Dragon Trailer
TheDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thievestrailer may only be two minutes long, but it packs a plethora of Easter eggs into that runtime. The most obvious nods to the tabletop RPG are its characters, each of which falls intoone ofD&D’s iconic classes. Chris Pine plays Edgin, a Bard; Michelle Rodriguez is a Barbarian named Holga; ex-Bridgertonstar Rege-Jean Page is playing a Paladin named Xenk; Justice Smith is playing Simon, a Sorcerer; Hugh Grant is a Rogue named Forge; and Sophia Lillis is Doric, a Druid.
TheD&D: Honor Among Thievestraileris also full of monsters and creatures, all of which have been pulled directly from the tabletop game. During an arena segment of the trailer, both the Displacer Beast and the Gelatinous Cube can be seen. The former is a panther with Venus Fly Trap-tentacles protruding from its back, and is capable of bending light to hide its position. Meanwhile, the latter is a literal gelatinous cube that dissolves its prey over time. Both an acid-spitting Black Dragon and classic fire-spewing Red Dragon were also seen in the trailer, decimating an army of humans.
The trailer also gives fans a brief glimpse of a Mimic, which takes on the appearance of a treasure chest to lure adventurers in before revealing an absurdly long tongue and hundreds of sharp teeth.Dark Soulsfans should be very familiar with these Mimic chests. At the end of the trailer, an iconic Owlbear is teased as Lillis' Druid character transforms into one using magic, likely the spell Wildshape - which, according tothe 5th Edition ruleset, some believe she technically wouldn’t be able to do.
A few iconicDungeons and Dragonslocations were also revealed, looking solid in live-action. The city of Waterdeep is one such location, being one of the most important in 5th Edition as the setting of a slew of politically-centered quests, as well as the location of a number of wealthy characters. Theunderground city of Underdarkwas also shown off, with some magical lighting being used to give it its otherworldly appearance. The final named location in the trailer appears to be Icewing Dale, which is essentially just a large frozen landmass.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thievesreleases in theaters in March 2023.
