The first wave of films was announced for SXSW 2023 and there are some real crowd-pleasers set to open up the film festival in March. Chief among them is Paramount Pictures and eOne's highly-anticipated Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves which will not only make its world premiere but will lead off the festivities on March 10. The Feature and Short Competitions, Midnighters, select titles from other categories, and XR Experience were also announced with more titles to be revealed in early February.
Described as a hilarious and action-packed adventure, Honor Among Thieves follows a charming thief and his band of adventurers whose thieving ways land them in hot water when they heist a powerful relic for the wrong person. Unwilling to let their mistake doom the world, the gang becomes unlikely heroes to save everyone, adventuring through dungeons, navigating drops, and facing down classic, terrifying monsters along the way. It's shaping up to be a fun love letter to the fans, especially since the team behind the film has worked closely with Wizards of the Coast to capture the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons with the comedic adventure film.
Directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the film features a star-studded cast led by Chris Pine with Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head, and Hugh Grant. Although there's a lot of promise to the new Dungeons & Dragons flick, it has a tough act to follow after A24 brought down the house last year with the crowd-pleasing leadoff of Everything Everywhere All At Once. All eyes will be on Goldstein and Daley to see if their take on the classic tabletop game is a critical hit.
Evil Dead Rise and Flamin' Hot Among SXSW Selections
Following Honor Among Thieves, SXSW has a few other highly anticipated films lined up to kick the festival off on the right note. Horror fans will be sated with Evil Dead Rise, Lee Cronin's new installment in the classic franchise which sees two estranged sisters, played by Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland whose family reunion turns into a nightmare when they're forced to fight for survival against flesh-possessing demons. Also on the docket are the world premieres of Problemista, Julio Torres' story of an aspiring toy maker from El Salvador fighting to realize his dreams in the U.S., and Flamin' Hot, Eva Longoria's directorial debut about the Frito-Lay janitor who claims to have invented the world-conquering Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
Along with the announcement, Claudette Godfrey, the VP of Film and TV for SXSW, released a statement praising the lineup for this year's festival, saying:
"We are thrilled to announce the first wave of our incredible lineup for SXSW 2023. It's an amazing collection of films, TV series and XR experiences that promise to inspire, entertain and challenge our audiences. We’re also proud to open with Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, a raucous and engaging fantasy adventure, and look forward to welcoming everyone to Austin in March for what promises to be an unforgettable event."
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves adventures into theaters on March 31. Check out the trailer below.