Chris Pine is negotiating a deal to star in Dungeons & Dragons, the live action film based on Hasbro’s massively popular role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast. Hasbro/eOne and Paramount are jointly producing and financing, with eOne distributing in the UK and Canada, and Paramount the rest of the world.

Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley will direct a script they’ve written, based on a draft by Michael Gilio.

Goldstein & Daley had been set in 2019 to direct a film that will feature an ensemble cast and take a subversive approach to the game. Landing Pine, who has been the linchpin of the Star Trek film series for Paramount, is a strong start for what the studios hope will be a new franchise launch. They’re making plans to shoot first quarter of next year in Belfast. Goldstein & Daley were hired off the dark comedy Game Night, and after scripting Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Hugh Grant, Sophia Lillis Join Chris Pine in 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie
MARCH 02, 2021 2:07PM by Borys Kit

Hugh Grant has been cast in the main antagonist role in the big-budget feature adaptation of the popular fantasy role-playing game from Wizards on the Coast. At the same time, Sophia Lillis, best known for her work in the It horror movies, has also joined the bold-faced name of the production that also includes Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith and Regé-Jean Page.

The game is known for its war games, treasure hunts, camaraderie and reversals of fortune, all in a fantasy setting that combines humans, elves, orcs and hundreds of other creatures. The game famously uses multi-sided dice in gameplay and is overseen by a host known as the Dungeon Master. It is not known whether the story is a straight-up fantasy or incorporates the storytelling and game-playing aspects.

Plot details are being kept under wraps but it is known that Grant will play an antagonist named Forge Fletcher while Lillis' character is named Doric.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley — the duo behind New Line's sleeper hit Game Night — are set to direct with Paramount and eOne jointly producing and financing. eOne will distribute in the UK and Canada while Paramount distributes in the rest of world.

Jeremy Latcham is producing via his deal with eOne, Hasbro’s entertainment arm. Hasbro’s Brian Goldner is also producing.

Grant last starred in HBO’s drama The Undoing for which he was highly praised, earning Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics Choice Award nominations. He is currently shooting Five Eyes, an action thriller that once again reunites him with Guy Ritchie, who directed him in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and last year’s crime caper, The Gentlemen.

Lillis broke through starring as Beverly March in New Line’s hit adaptation of Stephen King novel, It. She followed that up with a starring turn in Netflix’s short-lived series, I Am Not Okay With This, and can be currently seen opposite Paul Bettany in road trip movie Uncle Frank on Amazon.

Grant is repped by CAA while Lillis is repped by CAA, Untitled, and attorney Ryan LeVine.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie will be called Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Paramount and eOne announced today.

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, which was first published by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. in 1974, and has been distributed by Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast since 1997. The plot of the film starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head and Hugh Grant has thus far been kept under wraps.

Goldstein, Daley and Michael Michael Gilio adapted the screenplay from a story by Chris McKay and Gilio, which was itself based on Hasbro’s game. Jeremy Latcham, Brian Goldner and Nick Meyer are producing, with Denis L. Stewart, Goldstein, Daley, Pine, Zev Foreman and Greg Mooradian exec producing the film, set for release on March 3, 2023.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves‘ release weekend is currently wide open. A TV adaptation of the classic RPG game, spearheaded by Red Notice helmer Rawson Marshall Thurber, is also in the works at eOne.