Dungeons & Dragons star Chris Pine says the upcoming film adaptation of the tabletop role-playing game has several unlikely influences.
"The way that I've been describing it, it's like Game of Thrones mixed with a little Princess Bride, just a smidge of [Monty Python and the] Holy Grail; it's somewhere in that ballpark," Pine told Collider when asked for details about the highly anticipated movie. "It's a lot of fun. It's got a lot of thrills. It's poppy, it's eighties heartfelt, there's a bit of Goonies in there."
The actor went on to describe his character as the "ultimate party planner," and insisted the film is "going to be really good." He also praised directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, describing the duo as "killer guys." Pine added, "They know comedy and they know heart and we had a great cast and we had a good time making it. And that's all you can ask for."
Other than the Game of Thrones comparison, the Dungeons & Dragons adaptation might sound more comedic than expected. However, that's not so surprising considering that directors Goldstein and Daley, who also co-wrote the film's screenplay, previously helmed the 2015 Vacation remake and the 2018 action-comedy Game Night. The duo also penned the scripts for comedies like Horrible Bosses, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Vacation Friends. They also co-wrote 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, which was partially inspired by seminal '80s teen comedies.
Goldstein teased the tone of Dungeons & Dragons in a prior interview, saying, "We want it to be fun. It's not an out and out comedy, but it is an action-fantasy movie with a lot of comedic elements and characters we hope people will really get into and enjoy watching their adventures." Daley added, "D&D is such a unique look at the fantasy genre where it is contemporary in terms of the people playing it and the way they speak to each other. So we never wanted to spoof the genre of fantasy or take the piss out of it. But we did want to find another way into it that we hadn't necessarily seen before."
Several images from the set of Dungeons & Dragons have made their way online, including a photo of Pine and co-star Michelle Rodriguez catching a ride aboard a "dragon boat." Another picture from the set features Rodriguez brandishing a massive axe while wearing what appears to be her full barbarian outfit for the film.
Pine and Rodriguez are joined by a cast that includes Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Regé-Jean Page and Hugh Grant, who's set to play the main villain.
Dungeons & Dragons is scheduled to hit theaters on March 3, 2023.
Source: Collider