Later this month, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will bring the storied RPG franchise back to the big screen for the first time in 23 years (not counting the two direct-to-video D&D movies, of course). Fortunately, it looks like Honor Among Thieves is striking the right tone between fantasy action and a touch of comedy. And in a new preview scene from the film, the unlikely heroes are thrust into a shifting maze while being chased by a displacer beast. Additionally, there’s an unexpected nod to the franchise’s past.
The scene is set in an arena within the realm of Neverwinter, as the malevolent Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), puts his former friend, Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), into an obvious death trap alongside Edgin’s team, Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), Doric (Sophia Lillis), and Simon Aumar (Justice Smith). As for the displacer beast, it has the unique ability to confuse its prey by projecting images of itself into their minds while sneaking up for the kill.
For longtime fans of D&D, this sequence features a special callback to the Dungeons & Dragons animated series from the ’80s. It seems that Edgin’s team isn’t the only victim of Forge’s trap. One of the rival adventurer groups is apparently the grown-up versions of Sheila, the thief, Diana the acrobat, Bobby, the barbarian, and Hank, the Ranger. Only those four get a close-up in this clip, but their teammates, Presto, the magician, and Eric, the cavalier, are briefly seen from a distance.
Although he isn’t seen in this preview, Regé-Jean Page’s Xenk Yendar is the final member of Edgin’s group of rogues. The rest of the cast includes Daisy Head as the Red Wizard, Sofina, Jason Wong as Dralas, and Chloe Coleman as Kira Darvis, Edgin’s estranged daughter.
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley directed the film from a script that co-wrote with Michael Gilio. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will break into theaters on Friday, March 31.