Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, known for genre-defying projects such as ‘Game Night,’ step into the fantasy realm.
If 2023 is any indication, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves filmmakers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have leveled up.
The writing-and-directing duo’s fantasy adventure film, which is based on the beloved tabletop role-playing game, has been met with rave reviews from critics and audiences, and most impressively, they’ve managed to pull off the impossible by satisfying both D&D die-hards and newcomers to the world. Furthermore, Goldstein and Daley even have a story credit on one of the buzziest superhero films of all time, The Flash, which finally releases in June after first being announced in 2014. (The pair left the project as writer-directors in 2019 due to creative differences.)
Daley is most known for his role as the D&D-playing Sam Weir on the short-lived cult classic, Freaks and Geeks, and when Paramount’s marketing department pitched a D&D-related reunion among Daley’s character, Samm Levine’s Neal Schweiber and Martin Starr’s Bill Haverchuck, Daley couldn’t resist the full-circle moment that promoted his new movie in the process.
“I jumped at the chance, because it is truly bizarre and amazing that there is this association with me as Sam Weir playing Dungeons & Dragons 23 years ago and now co-directing and co-writing this film,” Daley tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Daley’s days as a full-time TV actor are still paying dividends, as he first met his future creative partner Goldstein on the set of The Geena Davis Show (2000-01), which the latter wrote for at the time. And five years later on Kitchen Confidential (2005-06), Daley forged a relationship with a now-acclaimed actor and director who would later provide a rather delightful and unexpected cameo in Dungeons & Dragons, as Holga’s (Michelle Rodriguez) ex-lover, Marlamin. The surprise appearance was added during the later stages of post-production. (Skip the following quote if you’ve yet to see the film.)
“I co-starred with Bradley [Cooper] on the show Kitchen Confidential when I was 19 years old, and we appreciated each other’s careers from afar after that experience,” Daley shares. “So I don’t remember who it was that pitched Bradley, but the second I heard the name, I thought, ‘Oh, let’s go for it.’ So we sent him a copy of the unfinished film and he loved it. So he was ready to jump on board, and it was such an awesome day.”
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Goldstein also discusses the film’s test screenings that ultimately led to additional photography.
John, the studio just released a brilliant promo spot for Dungeons & Dragons in the form of a Freaks and Geeks reunion with Samm Levine and Martin Starr. How did this come together?
John Francis Daley: Well, I would like to take the credit for it, but it was actually an idea from a brilliant person in our marketing department at Paramount. She was friends with Martin [Starr] and thought it would be a fun mini-reunion for the Geeks. So I jumped at the chance, because it is truly bizarre and amazing that there is this association with me as Sam Weir playing Dungeons & Dragons 23 years ago and now co-directing and co-writing this film.
Was this the same marketing team that put creepy smiling people at baseball games to promote Smile?
Daley: I think it probably was the same people, and I still think that was one of the most genius marketing schemes to this day.
Did Freaks and Geeks kick-start your affinity for D&D?
Daley: It did. It definitely introduced me to the mechanics of the game and what made it so special. But admittedly, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I picked it back up. This was a few years before we started on the film, and I fell back in love with it. There is this unpredictability in the storytelling and this sense of fun and humor that is naturally associated with D&D, and that’s what makes it so appealing as a film.
