For the cast and crew of the upcoming adventure epic, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the road to their theatrical release has been just as much a journey as for their characters. While promoting the film for its world premiere, Collider’s Steve Weintraub caught up with stars Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, who play Edgin the Bard and Holga the Barbarian. During their conversation, the duo discuss what they loved about the movie’s promotional trail, from Brazil’s CCXP to SXSW, ‘80s throwbacks, the “old-fashioned craftsmanship” of the practical FX, animatronic creatures, and more. In addition, Pine talks about his directorialdebut, Poolman.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

From writers and directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, Honor Among Thieves brings the world of D&D to life. Like many a campaign, the movie centers on a particularly bizarre team of petty thieves who, after a minor mistake that may bring on the destruction of the world, must embark on a hero’s journey to right their own wrong. Honor Among Thieves also features Justice Smith as Simon the Sorcerer, Regé-Jean Page as Xenk the Paladin, Sophia Lillis as Doric the Druid, and Hugh Grant as Forge the Rogue.

You can watch the interview in the video above, or you can read the full conversation down below.

COLLIDER: I just want to start with a sincere congratulations. The movie’s fantastic. Before we jump into it, Chris, I just have to ask you, when do I get to see Poolman, man?

CHRIS PINE: Man, you know, I wanna show Poolman off. Firstly, I have to sell the film. I have to find someone who wants to distribute the film. So, Neon, A24, I’m looking at you. But soon, hopefully, soon. I love my film. It makes me giggle, and a lot of people seem to giggle when they watch it, and I’m very proud of it. Very, very, very proud of it.

MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ: I can’t wait to see it.

PINE: I know, I’m gonna set up a screening because it looks like it’s gonna be a while before it hits theaters, but I’ll set up a screening, and invite everyone in the world.

RODRIGUEZ: That’s cool.

Image via Paramount

Don’t be afraid to send one my way. Now jumping into why I get to talk to you. You guys went around the world to promote this movie at Comic-Con. You went to Brazil, you’ve been in San Diego. How happy are you that the movie is awesome?

RODRIGUEZ: Dude. I like your steez, man.

PINE: That’s a great question. Yeah. [Laughs] That’s a great question.

RODRIGUEZ: And this is coming from a guy with like– he’s got the Back to the Future car in the backdrop, he’s got a Transformers doll in the backdrop, he’s got Charlie Brown.

PINE: It certainly sucks when a movie sucks. This one doesn’t fall into that category, thank God. What was really fun, I have to say, is going to South by Southwest. I had never been to that Paramount Theater and that Paramount Theater is such an incredible venue because it’s so small, it’s so tight, it’s so cavernous that there’s like no chance for any energy to dissipate. And this film is specifically made, this is made for audiences, it’s made for filmgoers, it’s made to be seen in the theater, it’s made to be shared. So to be able to be in that environment, to feel the energy go around, to feel people laugh, to gasp, to cry, all of it was really, really exciting.

Image via Paramount

One of the many things about the film is that it’s really funny, the action is well staged, and you care about the characters. So I’m just curious for both of you, what are you most excited for people to see? Because there are so many good things in this.

PINE: For me, it’s the fact that there are a lot of practical effects in it. So a lot of it, to me, feels like films that I grew up watching, like The Goonies or, I don’t know, really anything, Willow, Princess Bride. There’s a lot of real in this, and I think in an age of so much computer graphics – and certainly, we have a bunch of that in this – there are a lot of scenes that employ practical, old-fashioned craftsmanship, animatronics, and stuff that we haven’t really seen on film in a long time, and I think that’s really exciting.

RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, I’m with him on that, you know, to be fair. Like, it’s just so awesome. Legacy did such a wonderful job creating all of these creatures, and I think that their debut is everything to me. You can just tell the difference. I can’t put my finger on it, but I can tell the difference between– It’s a mixture between digital and animatronic, but you can see that there is a three-dimensional, robotic movement behind all of it, and I think that there’s something really cool about that. I don’t know, I think the creatures, it’s just all about the creatures for me, and I just can’t wait for all the Easter eggs to shine through.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is in theaters March 31. For more on the film, watch out interview with Regé-Jean Page.