Drizzt Do’Urden was sadly not in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for various reasons, but his chances of returning in a future adaptation are still up in the air. The legendary Dungeons & Dragons character was first introduced in the Icewind Dale Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore in 1988, quickly gaining popularity and resulting in Salvatore featuring him in over 38 subsequent novels. The Drizzt Do’Urden book series spanned across years as the story of the Dark Elf, his two scimitars, and the Companions of the Hall progressed, obtaining the attention of fantasy audiences across many mediums.

Several Dungeons & Dragons books and accessories featured Drizzt over the years, including the thirteen-book series by Wizards of the Coast, letting his story grow through the audience’s campaigns. Due to his popularity, many audiences have called for a Drizzt live-action project, which seemed possible upon Paramount’s announcement that they were going to make a variety of projects centered on the tabletop. Unfortunately, Paramount’s first attempt, Honor Among Thieves, ended up replacing Drizzt with another character, leaving this beloved icon behind in favor of a different storyline while still keeping the brevity of his appearance.

Drizzt Do’Urden Was Supposed To Be In Honor Among Thieves But Was Replaced By Xenk

Xenk Has Many Of Drizzt’s Qualities

Drizzt’s appearance in Honor Among Thieves was meant to happen, but he ended up getting replaced by Xenk (Regé-Jean Page), who mirrors many aspects of Drizzt. The Dungeons & Dragons movie cut Drizzt early on, as he appeared in the original drafts of the script. Drizzt was the one meant to help the party find the Helm of Disjunction before departing, with his home city of Menzoberranzan being the central location of the quest. Xenk, however, took his place, with his past tying into the Red Wizard’s backstory as well as their plans throughout the film.

Though Xenk was an original character, he shared some of Drizzt’s traits, such as his constantly stoic nature, noble bearing, and deep knowledge of several locations. Despite the fact that he is closer to a classic paladin archetype than a ranger, Xenk’s powerful fighting style matches parts of Drizzt’s as well, proving both to be efficient swordsmen. With all of these similarities, the question of why Drizzt was not included remains, with the answer coming from the producer of Honor Among Thieves Jeremy Latcham shortly after the film’s release in theaters.

Why The Dungeons & Dragons Movie Couldn’t Include Drizzt

Latcham Discussed Drizzt’s Removal In April 2023

Latcham, in an interview with ComicBook, mentioned that Drizzt had been embroiled in an unnamed controversy at the time of Honor Among Thieves’ creation, resulting in his removal from the film. According to the interview, Latcham discussed how Drizzt was originally meant to be in the movie, as they had permission from Wizards of the Coast, who owned the adaptation rights to the character. However, due to an unnamed controversy that seemed to involve Drizzt, the team ultimately replaced him with Xenk, shifting any details ᴀssociated with him away from the film’s lore.

The controversy in question was never discussed in detail by Latcham, but there may be a strong connection between Drizzt’s departure and an issue surrounding Wizards of the Coast during the film’s inception in 2020. Wizards of the Coast had released a statement regarding the depictions of various races and peoples in Dungeons & Dragons at the time, including the drow or Dark Elves of whom Drizzt is apart of, which caused some uproar. That controversy and Honor Among Thieves‘ financial failure may have ultimately hurt Drizzt’s chances of featuring in another adaptation, limiting his strong storyline.

Can Drizzt Still Appear In Future Dungeons & Dragons Adaptations?

Paramount’s Cancelation Of Its D&D Projects Makes It Unlikely

While Drizzt could still appear in a Dungeons & Dragons adaptation, the failure of Honor Among Thieves and Paramount’s subsequent cancelations make that possibility difficult. Honor Among Thieves underperformed at the box office, as its take of $208 million did not sufficiently surpᴀss its $150 million budget despite its popularity among audiences. As a result, Paramount canceled many of its upcoming Dungeons & Dragons-themed projects, creating a weariness surrounding adapting parts of the tabletop that does not ᴀssist in getting a live action Drizzt adaptation off the ground.

That being said, Wizards of the Coast still owns Drizzt and he is still widely popular, so an adaptation could happen if the company chooses to shift to onscreen works. Drizzt’s powers in Dungeons & Dragons as well as the success of other animated projects, such as The Legend of Vox Machina, could lead well to an animated adaptation that highlights why Drizzt is still so fondly remembered. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves may have delayed Drizzt’s introduction to wider audiences, but the legendary hero may still eventually come to the screen to showcase his continued adventures.