Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves earned some of the best reviews of any fantasy blockbuster in recent memory — but that critical goodwill may not be enough to get its sequel in front of a camera.
Co-director and writer Jonathan Goldstein confirmed in an interview with ScreenRant, as reported by Variety, that he and his filmmaking partner John Francis Daley did complete a full screenplay for a Dungeons & Dragons sequel. The two were formally hired to write it. The script exists. They believe it captures something fans would genuinely enjoy, and they remain enthusiastic about the cast from the original film.
The problem, Goldstein explained, comes down to money.
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Why Filming May Never Happen
Goldstein was candid about the situation, acknowledging that while the creative work is done, the path to actually getting cameras rolling on a sequel is far from clear. These are expensive productions to mount, and the financial calculus following the first film’s box office performance has made studios hesitant to move forward.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opened in 2023 to strong critical acclaim — it currently holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 92% audience score — but the theatrical results were a disappointment. The film grossed approximately $205 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of $150 million, shared between Paramount Pictures and Hasbro’s entertainment subsidiary. That gap made the prospect of a sequel complicated almost immediately after the film’s release.
Hugh Grant previously addressed the disconnect between the film’s quality and its commercial performance in a 2024 Vanity Fair interview, expressing genuine bewilderment that nobody had conducted proper market research before production to gauge public appetite for a movie based on the game.
What the Sequel Would Have Looked Like
Goldstein stopped short of revealing specific plot details but made clear that both he and Daley stand fully behind the material they produced. They love the cast — which includes Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Hugh Grant, Justice Smith, and Sophia Lillis — and believe the script gives those performers something worth returning for.
What’s Next for the Directors
Goldstein and Daley are continuing to work together regardless of how the Dungeons & Dragons situation resolves. The pair are currently set to direct Renegades, an action thriller based on a short story by Will Simmons, and are also in development on the next Star Trek film for Paramount.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
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