Scriptwriter Sidney Howard wrote the screenplay based upon his 1934 stage adaptation of Sinclair Lewis"" 1929 novel of the same name.The Thief watched a royal procession or parade through he streets, and cried out the familiar beggar""s request for help: "Alms! O ye merciful! Alms!" As the procession passed, he rolled under the open litter transport held up by porters, clung o its under-carriage, and removed a ring from the extended hand of the unaware carriage""s occupant." He had no concern for his townsfolk: "The town is lost.Save he gold!" In Bard""s (Luke Evans) home, Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) assisted everyone (including hree Dwarves: Fili (Dean O""Gorman), Bofur (James Nesbitt), and Oin (John Callen), Bard""s daughters and the recovering Kili (Aidan Turner)) as they attempted to escape.[The end credits state: "The persons and events portrayed in this production are fictitious."] However, the tongue-in-cheek claim of authenticity lends an air of credibility to the ghoulish account.