I was in the room when a writer announced, almost apologetically, that a sequel existed. You could feel the hope and the sinking at the same time. It’s one of those moments where you realize how often fandom and finance diverge.
We’ll always have Jarnathan, but if only we could have him in another ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ movie..
At San Diego Comic-Con, Jonathan Goldstein quietly confessed a sequel script exists — then tore the bandage off why it won’t move forward
I’ve followed writers into panels and press rooms; they rarely carry the same optimism as the next fan. Jonathan Goldstein told ScreenRant that he, Michael Gilio, and Johnathan Francis Daley wrote a follow-up that “something we think fans would like,” and then handed the audience the bad news: it’s unlikely to ever happen for “a number of financial reasons.”
You should know what that line hides. Studios price decisions the way a bank reads risk: projected revenue, marketing bleed, and corporate priorities. For Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the ledger looked rough—$208.2 million worldwide (€194M) against a roughly $150 million budget (€140M)—numbers that make executives wince when they’re hunting blockbuster certainty.
Will there be a Dungeons & Dragons 2 movie?
No one at Paramount has greenlit it. The writers have a script and the actors have said they’d return, but when I talk to people who watch studio calendars, it’s clear the film sits on the wrong side of risk appetite. You can love the movie and still face the fact that studios chase scale and predictable returns.
In the boardroom, merger talks and first-look deals are rewriting who gets to finance sequels
I’ve been inside meetings where one sentence can reassign a franchise’s fate: “We’re prioritizing strategic builds.” Paramount is in the middle of a costly pursuit to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that, even paused, consumes cash and attention. At the same time the studio is signing first-look deals with filmmakers and even musicians like Travis Scott, trying to stack its pipeline with tentpoles it can control and promote.
That corporate jockeying is why Goldstein’s sequel—despite talent and a script—meets a cold spreadsheet. Studio strategy now favors big, addressable IP that can be spun into global campaigns and franchise arcs. Goldstein and Daley are reportedly writing a new Star Trek movie; that kind of priority tells you what gets money and what doesn’t.
Why did Honor Among Thieves underperform at the box office?
Taste and timing matter, but economics explain more. A $150 million production cost (€140M) plus marketing can push breakeven far above the headline budget. The film’s $208.2 million gross (€194M) looked respectable to fans, but relative to what studios demand from franchise properties, it didn’t scream “franchise.” You can also point to crowded release calendars and shifting audience habits—streaming and overseas deals reshape what counts as success.
At streaming pitches, a canceled spinoff still signals future attempts by other players
I’ve tracked projects that die at one streamer and thrive on another; IP rarely stays unused. Paramount+ announced a TV spinoff in 2022 and quietly dropped it two years later. No one swooped in immediately, but that silence should not be read as permanent. Producers and platforms monitor dormant IP like collectors scanning auctions.
If studios treat the franchise like a collectible on a high-stakes poker table, third parties watch the chips fall. The movie’s brand still has cachet in licensing, tabletop, and merchandise—assets another studio or streamer could harvest later.
Is there a Dungeons & Dragons TV series coming to Paramount+ or elsewhere?
Not at Paramount+ for now. The streamer passed on its own spinoff. But platforms like Netflix, Amazon, or a revived HBO under Warner Bros. Discovery could pivot if they see a path to subscription growth or marketing synergy. Polygon, io9, and The Hollywood Reporter have all tracked interest; rumor mills and conference floors are where these deals often begin.
At the intersection of fandom and finance, talent keeps pitching while budgets say no
I talk to creators who still sketch scenes and fans who tweet pleas; the movie community never stops trying. But the hard truth is that studios are re-engineering slates around franchise durability and guaranteed returns. A script that thrills fans can feel like a painting behind glass if no one will fund a print run.
I’ve used two metaphors here intentionally: one to show how studios gamble like a high-stakes poker table, another to show how a prized work can sit unreachable as a painting behind glass. You’ve felt the frustration: a movie that charmed critics and fans, yet failed to translate into a safe corporate bet.
If the studio won’t take the chance on Goldstein’s sequel, who will—if anyone?