Big budget fantasy is always a very hit-or-miss proposition at the box office, especially when the project in question is obviously intended as the first installment in a franchise. But Dungeons & Dragons has plenty of talent attached to perhaps generate some curiosity and even a little excitement from those unfamiliar with the tabletop favorite.
There’s certainly an impressive ensemble on board with Chris Pine in the lead role, where he’ll be joined by Fast & Furious veteran Michelle Rodriguez, Bridgerton‘s breakout star Regé-Jean Page, I Am Not Okay With This‘ Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant, in what marks the latter’s first-ever major Hollywood blockbuster appearance.
Also along for the ride is Justice Smith, who’s no stranger to CGI and visual effects, having previously lent his talents to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Detective Pikachu. In a new interview with Collider, the actor teased what Dungeons & Dragons has in store.
“I can’t spoil too much but it’s action-packed, thrilling, funny as hell. It’s all of the things and yet it has a clear idea. That specificity is key in storytelling and John and Jonathan do that so well, being like, ‘This is the story we’re telling but they’re making it enjoyable the entire time’.”
Game Night‘s Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are directing from a script they also wrote, and they’ll be hoping to hew much closer to the template set by The Lord of the Rings rather than the last Dungeons & Dragons movie to score a theatrical release, which was panned by critics and flopped at the box office back in 2000.