In this IP-dominated era of entertainment, society will frequently contend with multiple iterations of the same source material. Fans often enjoy the spectacle of two works with the same brand name earning opposite cultural responses. Dungeons & Dragons evolved from a tabletop role-playing game into an all-purpose franchise across every notable medium. After its first excellent cinematic outing failed to rake in the gold it deserved, Baldur's Gate 3 cleaned up, offering a clear plan for its next adventure.
Dungeons & Dragons owes much of its cultural evolution to the wide world of actual play podcasts. Critical Role, The Adventure Zone, Dimension 20, and other luminaries in the space demonstrated the fun a TTRPG can provide. Through their example, D&D underwent the same climb from obscurity that comics and video games enjoyed decades earlier. All it needs now is a successful film franchise.
Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the year's most popular games
|
Developers |
Larian Studios |
|---|---|
|
Publishers |
Larian Studios |
|
Director |
Sven Vincke |
|
Writer |
Adam Smith |
|
Release Date |
August 3, 2023 |
|
Metacritic Score |
96 out of 100 |
After years of development, Larian dropped Baldur's Gate 3 to one of the most universally celebrated receptions in recent memory. Every detail earns feature-length breakdowns from devoted fans. It's been hailed as the best way to experience role-playing games as a concept, let alone Dungeons and Dragons. The dialogue sizzles with life, the action captures the tabletop game's improvisational feel, and the characters are instant fan favorites. Those party members are Baldur's Gate 3's greatest tool. Any fan of the game, D&D, or even the broad fantasy genre has seen a thousand clips or edits on social media. It's hard to gauge these things with any degree of objectivity, but the party from BG3 lands somewhere between Drizzt Do'urden's Companions of the Hall and Critical Role's Vox Machina. It's fair to say they're significantly more recognizable than Edgin, Holga, Simon, Doric, and Xenk.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 2 could be a cross-over
|
Directors |
Johnathan Goldstein and John Francis Daly |
|---|---|
|
Writers |
Johnathan Goldstein, John Francis Daly, Michael Gilio and Chris McKay |
|
Cast |
Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis |
|
Release Date |
March 31, 2023 |
|
Runtime |
134 Minutes |
|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
91% from 310 critics |
Though most fans loved Honor Among Thieves, it didn't make its money back at the box office. The film cost $150 million, bringing its perceived price tag to $300 million. With $208.2 million in worldwide returns, it could have lost Paramount Pictures almost $100 million. Critics lavished the film with praise, and its appeal was inarguable to fans and franchise devotees. However, the pull of Dungeons and Dragons as a brand pales in comparison to its related projects. The broad audience isn't drawn toward the TTRPG as they might be to Marvel or Star Wars. The film suffered two failed death saves, having little to do with its quality. It was up against The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an unstoppable box-office juggernaut with the best-selling video game franchise of all time in front of it. It also felt the wrath of fans enraged by Wizards of the Coasts' unacceptable brand decisions. D&D was in a terrible place. Baldur's Gate 3 changed that.
Honor Among Thieves proved the right creative team could create an excellent film about D&D. It, unfortunately, came on the heels of massive corporate malfeasance and a predictably unbeatable cinematic final boss. Now that Wizards has lost the battle for the OGL and Mario's next movie will likely take time to animate, a Baldur's Gate cross-over could be the perfect next step. Video game adaptations are in at the moment, a fact best illustrated by the film that helped bury Honor Among Thieves. Bringing Karlach and Astarion to the big screen will guarantee a level of box-office success beyond Paramount's wildest dreams. Larian would have to sign a few deals. Paramount would have to reach across the aisle. The franchises already exist in the same narrative universe. As for Honor Among Thieves enjoying a sequel, Chris Pine gave Gamesradar+ this statement,
I've heard some rumours about it, but I don't know anything yet. I feel pretty confident that it may happen. [I’d] absolutely [return].
There's no guarantee of a second D&D movie. The world could go on without seeing a second adventure for Edgin, Holga, Doric, and Simon. However, the adventuring party from Baldur's Gate 3 isn't going anywhere. They're cultural icons beyond the wit of their creators. Bring them to the big screen. Let them tangle with the titular thieves and save this film franchise. Beyond the obvious franchise potential of both works, the first excellent D&D movie deserves more attention than it received. Baldur's Gate 3 and Honor Among Thieves could come together in an Avengers-style cross-over that would give both franchises new worlds to explore. If there's one thing D&D fans love, it's watching their favorite characters interact.