Writer-director duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (“Game Night”) were recently given the keys to reboot Star Trek for Paramount. Yet it seems one IP they won’t be tackling again is a sequel to “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.”
Goldstein and Daley had already mentioned how there were budget concerns over at Paramount when it came to ‘Dungeons & Dragons 2,’ and that’s despite being hired to write the sequel, which now has a completed script.
Daley and Goldstein are now out there promoting “Mayday,” their straight-to-Apple TV action flick starring Ryan Reynolds — which I hear isn’t bad? They spoke on The Discourse Podcast about ‘Dungeons & Dragons 2’ and confirmed they have been allowed to shop it around to other studios.
I think Hasbro is a big believer in it, and if they can figure out a studio partner to make it work, they’ll want to proceed.
Now, despite strong reviews — 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 72 Metacritic score, and strong audience ratings — the first installment was not a commercial hit. The film grossed only $205M against a $150M budget, losing Paramount a significant amount of money. It did, however, gain a decent following on streaming, but the financial risk for a sequel is ever-present.
Daley acknowledged the financial issues standing in the sequel’s way. “Yes, there are practical realities with the finance contingent, and who knows if it ever gets made, but we were proud of the sequel script and hope that at some point it does find a path,” he explained.
‘Honor Among Thieves’ starred Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Regé-Jean Page, and Sophia Lillis.
It’s not that surprising to see Paramount taking a hard pass on a sequel. That said, Paramount was clearly impressed by Goldstein and Daley’s work on the film — so much so that they were given the immense task of rebooting Star Trek. Their Skydance connections continue, as their next film, “Mayday,” which was shot in 2024, will finally be released this Friday.
“Primetime” doesn’t really go beyond being a good movie. For all of its outrageous entertainment value, it ultimately feels like a stylishly conceived riff on a ridiculous show and its even more ridiculous host.