Dungeons and Dragons 2 has a finished script and no studio willing to pay for it, but the directors say there is always hope

[Octopus]

Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have confirmed that a completed screenplay for Dungeons and Dragons 2 already exists, but the sequel remains without a studio home after Paramount Skydance passed on the project for what has been described as purely financial reasons. Hasbro, which owns the underlying Dungeons and Dragons brand, is reportedly a big believer in the project and is actively working alongside producers to find a new studio partner willing to actually finance and distribute the film.

Goldstein summed up the current situation directly, saying Hasbro is a big believer in it, and if they can figure out a studio partner to make it, while Daley spoke about his own genuine enthusiasm for continuing the story, explaining that he and Goldstein fell in love with the characters and see so much potential in a sequel given how the first film turned out. Daley was also candid about the very real obstacles still standing in the way, acknowledging there are practical realities with the finance contingent, and that nobody yet knows for certain whether the project ever actually gets made.

The original 2023 film suffered from a difficult run of bad luck around its release, arriving in cinemas just four days before The Super Mario Bros. Movie, coinciding with an unrelated Dungeons and Dragons licensing controversy that prompted some fans to boycott the brand entirely, and receiving what many considered insufficient marketing to properly reach audiences beyond existing tabletop fans. No casting announcements have been made for a sequel at this stage, though the directors have suggested the original ensemble cast could plausibly return if the project ever secures the funding it needs to move forward.

Still want Dungeons & Dragons 2? There's "always hope" for a sequel, say directorswww.empireonline.com

[Rachel_72]

Having a completed script sitting unused purely because of financing rather than any creative issue is genuinely frustrating for fans, the actual story is apparently ready to go and the only obstacle is money.

[Nomad22]

The timing disaster around the first film's release genuinely never gets enough credit for how much it hurt that movie's box office, going up directly against Mario four days later was almost guaranteed to bury it commercially regardless of actual quality.

[Janette63]

Hasbro clearly still believing in this property despite the first film's underwhelming box office performance says a lot about how much they value the brand's long term potential over any single film's immediate financial return.

[Rory_39]

Daley being this candid about the real financing obstacles rather than offering empty reassurance is honestly refreshing, too many of these updates just promise something is definitely coming without ever acknowledging the genuine uncertainty involved.

[TheRizz07]

No casting news yet but the suggestion the original ensemble could return is genuinely the best possible outcome for fans, that cast's chemistry was widely considered one of the first film's biggest strengths.

[Quarry18]

The original film built a genuinely loyal cult following after release despite the underwhelming box office, that kind of post release goodwill sometimes does eventually convince a studio to take a chance on a sequel a few years down the line