In a new video made for IGN, the directors of the new Dungeons and Dragons movie – Honor Among Thieves – break down the trailer. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein go through all of the significant shots and moments in the trailer for the upcoming fantasy movie.
One moment that has already caused controversy in the DnD community is the fact that the Druid Doric (Sophia Lillis) can transform into other creatures – one of which is the iconic Owlbear. The directors say; “Here we have the Owlbear, which is another iconic monster in Dungeons and Dragons. And it is actually Doric wild-shaping into one, from her Druid self. It was really exciting to see this thing come to life.”
“We went through so many iterations, because when you’re looking at an illustration, you can get away with a lot – in terms of the angles, how it lumbers, and how it looks. But when you’re actually seeing it in a three-dimensional space, it changes. It had to be the most aesthetically-pleasing, but also formidable creature that you can make.”
The directors continue; “We’re aware that there was a certain amount of controversy that emerged in the DnD fan community after the first trailer showed our Druid wild-shaping into an Owlbear. It was something that we discussed a great deal when we were writing it – we know that technically it’s not permissible, but we subscribe to the Rule of Cool. We felt that if we, as the Dungeon Masters of this movie, would let our players do this – then why should we deprive the audience of something that’s as cool and fun as this?”
Honor Among Thieves will be released on March 31. It stars Hugh Grant as the rogue villain Forge Fletcher and Chris Pine playing the bard Edgin, who leads a band of thieves. The band is made up of a barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez), a sorcerer (Justice Smith), a druid shapeshifter (Sophia Lillis) and a sword-wielding paladin (Rege-Jean Page).
While we wait for the release of the Dungeons and Dragons movie, check out our guide to the best fantasy series.