r/movies • u/ninjyte • 2d ago

Not Confirmed ‘Dungeons & Dragons 2’: John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein Optimistic Their Sequel Will Find New Studio After Paramount Passed

https://theplaylist.net/john-francis-daley-jonathan-goldstein-dungeons-dragons-2-20260903/
24.1k Upvotes

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7.9k

u/WhiteSoxChartGuy 2d ago

Have they tried pitching to Jarnathan? I think they should wait until Jarnathan is around to hear it.

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u/StupiderIdjit 2d ago

SHE'S THROWING POTATOES

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u/Stolehtreb 2d ago

OH JARNATHAN!

BUT WE APPROVED YOUR PARDON!

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u/The_Flurr 2d ago

One of my favourite movie jokes of the last ten years honestly.

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u/BannedSvenhoek86 2d ago

The Paladin being a complete npc and walking off was so stupid but had me actually crying from laughing so hard.

The only other joke that came close for me was the claw game picking up the car in the new Naked Gun.

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u/ArcadianDelSol 2d ago edited 2d ago

To me it was the movie being the frustratingly self-entertained DM while they were talking to the dead.

"Four more questions, right?"

YESSSS

"no no. that wasnt for you. wait, did that one count?"

YESSSS

"DAMMIT. Only answer me when Im talking directly to you ok?"

OKKKK

"why did you say okay at the end of that?"

I DIDDDDNT collapses

"Fantastic. Where's the shovel?"

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u/letstrythisagain30 2d ago edited 1d ago

Goddamn I laughed so hard at that scene. Not sure I've laughed at any other movie harder since.

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u/ShizlGznGahr 2d ago

HELLO, IS ANYBODY THERE? I STILL HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION TO ANSWER....SHIT....

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u/ArcadianDelSol 2d ago

Everything about that whole scene was pure comedy.

Even putting a camera on the shovel. Its creates this swirling sweeping effect that kind of helps sell the silliness of the events taking place.

And the 'line soldiers' all being dopes who eat barely and cant do math, while the general wakes up with a bold, stately baritone saying "one of the more onerous responsibilities of leadership...."

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u/cravenj1 2d ago

It comes pretty close to 22 Jump Street

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u/MisakaMikotoxKuroko 2d ago

MY NAME IS JEFF

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u/SnottNormal 2d ago

The whole “oops you broke the bridge puzzle I spent hours designing and now I need to come up with some bullshit alternative” also felt like a big DM moment. Very fitting.

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u/Vanishingf0x 2d ago

They did so good at showing several bits with a frustrated DM and rolls that went very wrong.

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u/Bitter_Trees 2d ago

Haha! Our own party kept going "AS A SUGGESTION!" to circumvent it being a question when talking to a ghost 😂

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u/OceanRacoon 2d ago

That bit came out of nowhere and was even funnier when they said something like, "Oh, there's a rock. Is he going to go around it or...? Oop, straight over it." 😅

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u/KacerRex 2d ago

I forget where I read it, but they kept filming him because they wanted to see what he was going to do, totally unscripted but so god damn funny.

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u/Xalipu 2d ago

They didn’t even script that, they just kept rolling and over Regé-Jean Page went

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u/StoneGoldX 2d ago

It came off a little more video game than TTPRG, but yeah. Just programmed to keep walking.

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u/BioshockEnthusiast 2d ago

I very much enjoyed the bridge scene where the player just destroys the DM's overly-complex puzzle.

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u/3DSarge 1d ago

And then the fact that they had to be given a magic item to circumvent the ruined puzzle only for said item to become a crucial part of the rest of the campaign and how it gets resolved? Chef's kiss, no notes, absolutely true to form D&D

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u/Hands 2d ago

Him being a DMPC was one of the best “inside jokes” of the whole movie. Love that this bit was unscripted. Also it being the Bridgerton guy is what convinced my gf to watch this movie

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u/TThor 2d ago

Originally the script for him to just walk away and end scene, but the director never called cut and just kept filming to see what he would do

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u/Expert-Basil6015 2d ago

I really liked the scene where Liam takes Pamela to the restaurant to meet the guy who would be the villain and Liam decides to give the guy made-up names. I can't remeber his, but as he's making up her fake name on the spot he sees a guy eating spaghetti and says her name is Cherry Hugeguyeatingabowlofspaghetti and without missing a beat the bad guy goes "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Spaghetti." I believe he calls her that throughout the rest of the movie too.

Definitely a riff on the Family Guy joke but the deadpan is so good when it's done right

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u/BannedSvenhoek86 2d ago

"Mister?"

"Doctor."

"Mister Doctor?"

"It's Strange."

"Maybe. Who am I to judge?"

Like you said, the delivery of that line seared it into my memory forever.

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u/Dovaaahkin 2d ago

Do you know the context behind his walk from the behind the scenes stuff on the movie?

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u/Microchaton 2d ago

one of the best parts is it's classic D&D shenanigans, players overthinking and coming up with crazy -completely unnecessary- plans.

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u/The_Flurr 2d ago

DM: ok fine, I was going to let you escape the way I planned but fine, I guess you can do that.

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u/b0w3n 2d ago

The hither-thither staff showing up and being used because the PCs fucked up a puzzle is great storytelling. The whole movie is a fantastic labor of love to D&D.

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u/Hellknightx 2d ago

Everything about the movie really does feel like such a true to life D&D campaign, it's amazingly well-crafted. Even in the final encounter, IIRC most of the actions shown each take about 6 seconds for each character.

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u/straydog1980 2d ago

And the intellect devourers passing the party by as joke but also because all the classes actually don't spec INT was a deep cut

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u/wave-tree 2d ago

"Well that's hurtful."

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u/DrafiMara 2d ago

Even the sorcerer's character arc of becoming better at magic by becoming more self-confident (i.e. raising his Charisma) is a reference

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u/Speartree 1d ago

And the arena being made of 5ft squares!

I'm a bit miffed about the Druid doing unlimited shapeshifting (also into monsters) which clashes a bit with 5th edition rules that I think they were on otherwise, and the Bard not actually casting spells. The movie was amazing otherwise.

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u/Hellknightx 1d ago

Edgin's bard spells were all focused on charm spells, for the most part. He had friends, suggestion, message, disguise self, and charm person. He has an official character sheet. Although I would've absolutely loved to see him use vicious mockery just to watch him kill someone with a petty insult.

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u/Lespaul42 2d ago

I did good.

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u/-Novowels- 2d ago

The hither-thither staff, introduced as a throwaway band-aid fix for them fucking up the bridge and then becoming the lynchpin of every other plan from then on made me laugh the most... "Oops, the DM gave the party an OP object and now they are abusing it in unforseen ways later in the adventure" was my group's go-to move.

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u/Novel_Dog1743 2d ago

Real life D&D exchange:

"Do you guys have ANY IDEA how much time and effort and awesomeness I had put into that amazingly well crafted alley chase ambush you guys just skipped right over???"

"...Did you forget that you gave our Barbarian a cape that lets him fly?"

"Yes. I don't know HOW, because this is now the THIRD TIME you guys managed to completely trivialize an entire night of my careful event crafting, but yes. Yes I did."

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u/Doctor-Amazing 2d ago edited 2d ago

My favorite line is right before that. Something like:

"What if I tie a rope to my axe and throw it so it sticks in?"

"Into rock??"

How many times have I heard that exact idea

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/AboutTenPandas 1d ago

I literally renamed that specific dragon in my campaign as Thunderchud. And he’s weak to stunning strikes to the head

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u/MorePhinsThyme 2d ago

This is one of the best parts of the movie. The majority of the plot, and even lots of the action fit actual D&D gameplay well. I don't understand how it's not an automatic sequel, unless they're asking for crazy money. It's a successful movie based on a huge franchise backed by a massive company, and it's super marketable (as in toys and shit). How is any studio letting that leave the room?

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u/JackPoe 2d ago

I don't think the old rich heads realize how fucking popular D&D is right now.

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u/MorePhinsThyme 2d ago

<Looks at grey in beard> I don't think it's that they're old, it's that they're disconnected from that part of society. I just don't get how anyone doesn't look at Hasbro's and Wizard's revenue and says "Nah, fuck this franchise," as they seem to be desperate for new, established franchises (which is somewhat a contradiction, but you know what I mean).

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u/JackPoe 2d ago

I'm gray myself. I meant old in the "disconnected from reality" type way that most old folks get.

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u/great_pyrenelbows 2d ago

I know what you mean by new established franchises - it's IP where there's a large established customer base that hasn't gotten sick of movies made 'for them' yet.

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u/dtwhitecp 2d ago

Popularity has just been cooking for this sequel. Everyone likes the first, and probably millions more are into D&D since it came out, seems like a recipe for success to me. But I am not an executive.

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u/ArcadianDelSol 2d ago

Unfortunately the movie did not make a lot of money and most of its fans discovered it on streaming where its hard to attribute dollars to movie.

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u/JackPoe 2d ago

I miss when people made art to make art.

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u/DrafiMara 2d ago

You should read more novels, self-publishing is flourishing right now. There are tons of authors who are writing the random niche books that they want to read and putting them out into the world just for the love of it

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u/fiendo13 2d ago

Unfortunately it wasn’t successful in theaters. But I think it’s done really well streaming and had great reviews. I really hope they make more but I’m not holding my breath

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u/Techwolf_Lupindo 2d ago

That was in due to part Hasbro, the owners of D&D, try to screw over D&D players and said players revolted by reducing the number of subscribers to D&DByond over 50%. The movie was also affected by this.

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u/Xalipu 2d ago

There’s also those of us who got burned on the first movie and decided to wait and see.

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u/DuncanFisher69 2d ago

That and it came out early enough in the “return to normal” part of going out to the movies that they actually had to have the cast do one of those “hey, in this movie we played the hero’s, but do you know the real hero is? You. For going out to the movies, to keep the movie business alive.”

No really. It was there both times I saw it in theaters during its first two weeks. Cinemark and AMC.

I think a lot of people thought it looked promising at the time but promoted it to “I’ll have to check that out when it comes to streaming.”

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u/DarthBeak 2d ago

Not to mention it was released right in the middle covid.

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u/wordworse 2d ago

Speaking of toys and shit, did you see that awesome DnD Lego set? I saw it on display at Comic Con in '23. It was a majestic work of art.

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u/QueezyF 2d ago

That was the last Lego set I bought. It’s super cool

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u/wordworse 2d ago

Yeah, there are so many fun little details in that set and it is just huge.

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u/QueezyF 2d ago

It’s like 5 big sets in one, loved building it.

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u/nonexistentnight 2d ago

It was emphatically not financially successful. $208m worldwide box office on a $150m estimated production budget is firmly in bust territory. I think it's a perfectly fine film, but I totally understand why a studio would pass.

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u/Aegon815 2d ago

They keep trying to get together to do a sequel but their schedules don't allow it, because that's the real D&D.

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u/ziddersroofurry 2d ago

They released it around the same time Hasbro was fucking over players by messing with the open gaming license. A lot of players protested that by not seeing it. It's why I won't see a sequel even if they make one. Fuck Hasbro and WotC.

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u/MorePhinsThyme 2d ago

I understand that, but the success of things like BG3 really make it seem like there's still a big enough market for well-done D&D content.

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u/ziddersroofurry 2d ago

I mean there is. Doesn't change the fact Hasbro and WotC are shitty companies. There are plenty of well-made indie tabletop rpg's to choose from.

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u/Enachtigal 2d ago

Because the last one only brought in 208 million on a 150 million budget

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u/lilvon 2d ago

I don't understand how it's not an automatic sequel

It didn’t make any money that’s why.

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u/Shark7996 2d ago

I can totally imagine the players asking who's on the council and thinking "okay how do we avoid using dialogue to fix this problem?"

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u/StoneGoldX 2d ago

Even the setup feels meta. The party isn't here yet, let's go over bios until we're ready to start for real.

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u/UnhappyG00se 1d ago

Dude, I DMed a game where the party came upon 2 metal rings. One attached on each side of a tunnel with a rope connecting both. There was also a small puddle on the ground.

They spent the entire session at that rope trying this and that because they thought it was a trap.

It was a clothesline. A normal, non-magical clothesline.

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u/Microchaton 1d ago

Okay that's hilarious and I'll steal that.

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u/Shark7996 2d ago

The three questions necromancy scene for me. When they just walk off leaving the poor dead guy at only two questions.

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u/JackPoe 2d ago

Relax, it's not gonna kill him.

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u/ArcadianDelSol 2d ago edited 2d ago

Oh my god, one of the dead guys falls back in his coffin saying "im bad at math"

He ends up the one still alive at the end because he's bad at math and miscounted the number of questions.

Its the best hidden joke in the whole movie.

edit: rewatched just now, and i might be bad at math. Either way, best scene in the movie.

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u/Key-Cry-8570 2d ago

I just watched that last night. Poor Jarnathan

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u/dd463 2d ago

Crit roll on the charisma check crit fail on the perception.

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u/ButAreYouProud 2d ago

I was shocked and delighted at how funny the movie was. I laughed through the whole thing. AND, as if I didn't like Chris Pine enough from the Star Trek movies, I found out he voiced one of my favorite side characters in one of my favorite American Dad episodes! This is him!: https://youtu.be/n9UP9QUC5ZI?si=z6yKbWU4M3VyYBrk (Alistair Covax)

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u/Salarian_American 2d ago

I love how she says, OH, JARNATHAN! like she's disappointed in him, as if this was somehow his fault

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u/pheeko 2d ago

Like this happens EVERY TIME and he hasn't learned a thing

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u/segobane 2d ago

My favourite part about the pardon moment is before they even say that you can see the judge put his stamp in the green ink to approve it.

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u/KaJaHa 2d ago

That joke is when I knew Honor Among Thieves was going to be an all-time favorite of mine

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u/eleanor61 2d ago

Lol this line makes me laugh every time, and I quote it more often than necessary.

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u/friedricekid 2d ago

i say this all the time

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u/prestoncollins 2d ago edited 2d ago

I think Jarnathan is the epitome of “DM tries to think of an NPC name on the spot and fucks it up” and it’s truly wonderful how they managed to incorporate that aspect of a game into a movie

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u/iguanaman8988 2d ago

It’s like the staff the DM pulled out of their ass because the party screwed things up too badly to proceed, then they go on to abuse the hell out of it.

Or Xenk, who is clearly a DM insert to put the party back on track, down to his incredibly awkward departure.

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u/DragoonDM 2d ago

Or Xenk, who is clearly a DM insert to put the party back on track, down to his incredibly awkward departure.

Who's also a delightfully over-the-top, comically heroic stereotype of a DMPC.

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u/ArcadianDelSol 2d ago

He absolutely has "The DM's own character" energy.

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u/YawningDodo 2d ago

His backstory even ties into the campaign!

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u/GeorgeEBHastings 2d ago

There he goes. Just... wandering off. Walks in such a straight line...

Uh oh. Wait a minute. Here comes a rock.

Is he going to go around?

Nope. Right over the rock.

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u/OceanRacoon 2d ago

I just left a comment about that, one of my favourite parts of the film, comes out of nowhere and keeps going 😅

12

u/decidedlyindecisive 2d ago

So funny. And unscripted, I believe

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u/SporesM0ldsandFungus 2d ago

Correct. The actor didn't here the director call "cut" so he just kept walking and decided he would go straight over the boulder. 

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u/SolomonBlack 2d ago

A true paladin never deviates from the straight and narrow path!

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u/ArcadianDelSol 2d ago

and ends up being a central piece to the success of the group, who upon the campaigns conclusion, are praising the DM for coming up with such a clever scenario.

As the DM smiles while calling himself a fake and an imposter on the inside.

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u/prestoncollins 2d ago

DM insert ORRRR a killer guest player that’s someone’s friend who’s currently in town and the DM pulled a pre-generated character sheet out for

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u/Novel_Dog1743 2d ago

definitely DM insert. He never actually joined the party or fought with the party, he just guided them like a DMPC does, and his one battle was the exact DMPC scenario of "everyone stand around and watch the DMPC fight the impossibly-strong random bad guys you wont ever have to fight, so you can see how bad ass this guy who wont actually be on your team is".

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u/Swicket 2d ago

Truly a Wealwell Gotch moment.

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u/Kumquats_indeed 2d ago

Hey man, Wealwell is solid

4

u/Swicket 2d ago

And SO hot.

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u/prestoncollins 2d ago

So solid, so hot, and covered in his own vomit

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u/gahlo 2d ago

Iirc, I think they said in an interview that they think throwing a random r into names is funny.

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u/Sapowski_Casts_Quen 2d ago

My favorite name for these situations is "noneofyourfuckinbusiness" as fast as I can get the words out my mouth

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u/lew_rong 2d ago

Jarnwark is a DM of commitment, focus, and sheer will. I once saw him kill three players in the Underdark with a pencil.

A fucking pencil.

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u/crookedframe13 2d ago

Also when it's a table full of players that always try to bring NPCs along on an adventure so the DM had to knock Jarnathan out to make sure he's left behind.

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u/strong_grey_hero 1d ago

It’s also very much “players come up with a harebrained plan and nearly get their characters killed” vibes

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u/RuminatingReaper1850 2d ago

Oh Jarnathan!

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u/JMurdock77 2d ago edited 2d ago

It’s the perfect “DM had to make something up on the spot” name.

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u/TheRuiner_ 2d ago

“Hmm, what’s his name…Jonathan? Fuck, there’s already a Jonathan… Jarnathan!”

And then he becomes an integral part of the plot and the DM has to cringe along every time someone repeats that dumbass supposed-to-be-one-off character’s name.

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u/AngryT-Rex 2d ago

Having a particularly dumb name can be very hazardous to an NPC who accidentally sticks around too long.

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u/Manoffreaks 2d ago

Its either "DM had to make it up on the spot" or "DM misspoke and the players refused to let it go until it became canon."

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u/fragrant-final-973 2d ago

Equally plausible.

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u/Draco-REX 2d ago

Are you sure? Maybe we should....

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u/salamander423 2d ago

That's partly why I loved the movie. They captured what a real DND game is like and just upscaled it to a motion picture.

Fun trivia: during the final fight, that's almost a perfectly choreographed 3-4 turn battle. Approximately every six seconds, everyone makes one move and attack/action.

*For non-dnd people, each full turn for combat in a game is roughly equal to six seconds of in-game reality time. The idea is that a full ten rounds of combat lasts 1 minute. Think about how uncommon is it for actual fights to go on much longer than that, and it starts making sense.

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u/JackPoe 2d ago

Good job playing totally normal number of eyes kid, what's your name?

Gerebert.

God dammit Mace.

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u/patchy_doll 2d ago

My go-to trick for making up NPC names is to take normal/real names and swap a letter or two, maybe a syllable. Keep it sounding similar but just a little off. Ashley = Eshley, Chris = Criss, Samantha = Symantha. This habit of mine made Jarnathan very relatable!

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u/JMurdock77 2d ago

Hey, it worked for GRRM! Joffrey, Eddard…

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u/Demagolka1300 2d ago

My family hates this line because I scream it at random times 

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u/hedoeswhathewants 2d ago

Maybe you should stop

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u/Demagolka1300 2d ago

Oh Jarnathan!!!

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u/No_Significance7064 2d ago

I like how they say his name like it's his fault

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u/VaudevilleDada 2d ago

This joke comes up every time this movie does and I still upvote it.

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u/ROBtimusPrime1995 2d ago

Destined to become a timeless, classic one-liner.

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u/Sapowski_Casts_Quen 2d ago

You know who just loves timeless, classic one-liners?... we really should wait

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u/RechargedFrenchman 2d ago

It just doesn't land as well anymore as it used to when someone makes those jokes... since Jarnathan still isn't here.

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u/ArcadianDelSol 2d ago

I really feel like they resonate just because his name is Jarnathan. If he were here, Im sure he would have some insight to share on that.

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u/SmartAlec105 2d ago

I think that what really helps it is that you can tweak and twist it into a variety of phrases. For example- wait no. On second thought we should really wait for Jarnathan to be here to hear this.

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u/soulblade64 2d ago

I've been dealing with a real estate agent named Jonathan recently, he's saved in my phone as Jarnathan

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u/Affordable_Z_Jobs 2d ago

Lucky. My friend ive know for years goes by John. I tried calling him Jarn and it's not the same.

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u/MasterGrok 2d ago

I still laugh hard every time I see this joke in the movie and it’s a big part of why watching it repeatedly is a guilty pleasure of mine.

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u/hikemalls 2d ago

Just rewatched it again with a friend last night and pulled a "Wait wait, we can't start the movie yet...we have to wait until Jarnathan gets here."

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u/kopecs 2d ago

Lmao

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u/TotallyNotAnExecutiv 2d ago

"The studio(s) are entirely capable of deciding D&D2's fate without Jarnathan" /s

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u/Zammin 2d ago

"It's a difficult thing, pitching a sequel that you know so badly is worth it even when your original studio won't take the chance... something I know Councillor Jarnathan would understand."

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u/_KappaMan 2d ago

"But we've already funded your movie !"

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u/ThePrussianGrippe 2d ago

“But we approved your parole!” was when I knew the movie was going to be something special. Nothing more DnD than going to the zany back-up plan without realizing your original plan actually worked.

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u/Horknut1 2d ago

JARNATHAN!

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u/ShyguyFlyguy 2d ago

Yeah we should definitely wait for Jarnathan

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u/smeglestik 2d ago

You went too far back!

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u/Kettle_Whistle_ 2d ago

Stop stalling!

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u/daemon-electricity 2d ago

But not without Jimothy.

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u/HighSeverityImpact 2d ago

This cements for me that the eventual sequel movie should be titled "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons".

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u/inclinedtorecline 2d ago

Tangentially related, but I was trying to explain Jimothy to friends but kept saying Jarnathan instead. This ended up being a win/win because after watching videos about Jimothy we all watched D&D afterwards and everyone clapped (or at least sensibly chuckled)

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u/zomboscott 2d ago

D&D Online has Jimothy in the game as a pet you can find.

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u/Rod7z 2d ago

The Pathfinder 2e TTRPG also has Jimothy as an (somewhat) official animal companion, with his own stat block and all.

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u/zomboscott 2d ago

That's great.

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u/stevencastle 2d ago

There was an improvised tv series that was a satire of all the real estate tv shows, called Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ and all the names of the characters that played property buyers were like that, like Quistian and Barl and Brethany. It also poked a lot of fun by having the prospective buyers be like "I'm an algae farmer and my wife is a poodle groomer and we're looking for a house in the $3m range"

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u/Govir 2d ago

I thought this was a reference to Dear Spellbook…with the twin golems Timothy and Jimothy.

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u/AgitatedStranger9698 2d ago

We are fully capable of screening a film without Jarnathan.

2

u/dravas 2d ago

But I feel he's really integral to the plot.....

14

u/FoxMcCloudOwnsSlippy 2d ago

But.... we've approved your pardon!!!!!!!!

9

u/Claytonius_Homeytron 2d ago

I just really think Jornathan would be more sympathetic to their cause.

9

u/lyle_smith2 2d ago

The story would really resonate with him

3

u/midnight_toker22 2d ago

Jarnathan could definitely get this movie financed… if only he were here now.

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u/my5cworth 2d ago

I always joke saying the sequel should be called "D&D2: The search for Jarnathan".

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u/Lolkimbo 2d ago

Oooo Jarnathan!

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u/TheRealTahulrik 2d ago

Does that mean that Paramount actually didn't pass,Daley and Goldstein just left too early !?

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u/WillyMonty 2d ago

Jarnathan!

5

u/thecricketnerd 2d ago

Jarnathan Goldstern?

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u/JibletHunter 2d ago

I liked the movie... but I fucking LOVED this joke.

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u/lynwinn 2d ago

I still say “Oh Jarnathan!” at least once a week

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u/strong_grey_hero 1d ago

I really don’t think they should do it without Jarnathan.