Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was a fun action-adventure film that was primed to spark a franchise for the Dungeons and Dragons universe. Unfortunately, this never came to fruition, as Honor among thieves It failed to make much of an impression in theaters compared to its significant budget. This makes it unlikely that a Honor among thieves the sequel will take place after that, though the world of D&D lends itself just as well to an expansive, multi-installment franchise. However, the solution to this could come in the form of a live-action TV show.
Although Honor among thieves was a box office disappointment, that doesn’t mean the IP can’t still be turned into something that connects with all audiences. There was a lot to love Honor among thievesand in many ways, its failure doesn’t reflect the quality of the story or how well it adapted the source material. Since D&D is such a popular game, it makes no sense for any other screen iterations of his world to appear. While certain animated TV shows have already taken advantage of this, a live-action show needs to happen.
Honor Among Thieves 2 Doubts makes a live-action D&D show even more necessary
The franchise’s next step is to branch out into television.
However Honor among thieves Netflix’s streaming success is a great argument for confirming a sequel, but that probably won’t happen anytime soon. Reducing the budget and making a second film on a smaller scale may be possible, but removing the exciting parts of the film wouldn’t help bring audiences to the theaters. Instead, the future of D&D should be left to the sphere of television. With a live-action D&D show, the series could still tie into the film while advancing into new territories and distinguishing itself. Honor among thieves tells a complete narrative, but the characters are intriguing enough to return.
Fantasy is already better suited for television because of how much more time and space the narrative has to establish world-building and character development.
The best lesson the D&D franchise can learn Honor among thievesThe disappointing theatrical run and subsequent popularity on streaming is that a live-action TV show is the perfect place for the story. Fantasy is already better suited for television because of how much more time and space the narrative has to establish world-building and character development. Additionally, the series could address multiple facets of D&D, using multiple perspectives and stories that intersect to create a huge world that transports the audience into the magic of the story. Other fantasy series like Game of Thrones they had great success with it.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes critic score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) |
91% |
93% |
What’s happening with the live-action Dungeons & Dragons series
It will take some time for anything to be confirmed
For now, things are slowing down for the live-action D&D show, which is a shame considering how much traction Honor among thieves is going into streaming. Despite growing excitement, Paramount has canceled the live-action Dungeons & Dragons TV show (via GameRant). While Honor among thieves‘underwhelming box office could be a reason why the show shouldn’t happen, it’s quite the opposite. This demonstrates that a movie iteration would never work for D&D and that audiences are still waiting for the right adaptation.
Is there any hope, like Hasbro has plans to continue shopping the live-action D&D show despite the failure at Paramount (via Deadline). However, this is no guarantee that the series will resume soon or at all. The continued positive reviews and public reception for The Legend of Vox Machina is a good indicator that there is an audience base for a new program. Once the live-action series finds the right niche and network to bring the game’s unique tone and visual style to life, it has incredible potential.
A Dungeons & Dragons TV Show Could Do What Honor Among Thieves Couldn’t
Turn D&D into a long-running franchise that transcends genre
It’s true that not every fantasy fan is familiar with the lore and magic systems of D&D. However, if the live-action series were a success, it would inspire new audience members to get involved. There is no doubt that Honor among thieves it should be the beginning of a franchise and generate several sequels. There are parts of the film that clearly establish future narrative arcs and relationships between characters that will now be left undeveloped. However, establishing a series could open doors for spinoffs and even more film adaptations in the future.
After seeing all the amazing creatures in Honor among thieves turned into live-action, it’s a reminder that the species and characters introduced in the film are just a small part of the franchise. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has taken on a narrative type, but there’s room in D&D for the live-action show to be darker and more intense than its cinematic counterpart. Many of the most successful fantasy shows of recent years have adopted this gritty tone, and if the D&D TV show followed this path, it could make a name for itself.