Fifty years of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons has made another leap onto the big screen with Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
This time the stars are Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant and Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page. A stranger to the D&D phenomenon, a rather flummoxed Kate Rodger sat down with them all in Los Angeles.
Grant's co-star and former Bridgerton heartthrob Page revealed the secret of Dungeons and Dragons.
"So here's the secret, D&D is not about dragons, or magic, or swords. All of that is there but what those 50 years are, are of people getting together and playing a game together," Page said.
Obviously, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a film about a game. Page confessed it was also all a game before they began filming.
"We started this whole process by playing a game as a cast," Page said.
"We sat round a table and played 'Yes, And' which is what actors do.
"You come up with the wildest thoughts you can think of [but] the most magical thing you could do is this situation - occasionally trying to be heroic but that's no fun usually and pass that off to the person sitting next to you and that person is Chris Pine - witty and quick and sharp and knows his movies. He passes on to Michelle Rodriguez - it gets chaotic.
"She passes to Hugh Grant, it's very charming, and before you know it the whole thing is out of control and in the most joyous way possible and that's the energy we rolled onto set with and that's the movie we wanted to give people."
The cast has been giving back to the people across the globe, thrilling the hard-core fans at Comic-Con and rolling out the red carpet premieres - clearly having as much fun promoting it as they did making it.
"The most nourishing thing about making this film is it reminds you about your generosity to the audience," Page said.
"It reminds you that everything you do on set is to give to people on the other side of the screen. None of this means anything until people receive it as a group, and have a good time watching."
Kiwi audiences, you heard the man, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has just opened in cinemas.
