While the filming schedule for the new Robin Hood reboot just got pushed into the background, there’s still plenty of work to be done. While the film already has their young version of the iconic character, Taron Egerton, locked in, there are still a couple of other roles that every version of this story needs. One of them has now been taken care of, as Eve Hewson is reportedly on board to play the female lead, Maid Marian.
According to Deadline, Eve Hewson, previously of Cinemax’s The Knick, beat out over 100 young actresses to claim the role for the upcoming film Robin Hood: Origins. It sounds like Hewson is just entering contract talks with Lionsgate now, but nobody expects there to be any problems in getting the deal signed, and the role will be her biggest to date. She’s a relative newcomer to the screen, though she’s been putting together a strong clip reel, and she’ll be seen later this week in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. She's also got performance in her blood, as she's the daughter of U2 frontman Bono.
While the upcoming Robin Hood movie is obviously an origin story, we know little else about the plot beyond that fact. It involves Robin returning from fighting in the crusades to discover Sherwood Forest full of corruption, so he forms a band of outlaws to fight the evil. The plot sounds remarkably similar to that of Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. No word if Bryan Adams is working on the soundtrack as well.
The plot synopsis makes absolutely no mention of Maid Marian, so we’re completely in the dark as far as what Hewson will do. The character is traditionally portrayed as little more than a damsel in distress, something that we’ve seen enough of so far. Hopefully, she’ll be given slightly more to work with in this outing. The screenplay is written by Joby Harold, who also worked with Guy Ritchie on his upcoming new take on the King Arthur legend.
Origins recently lost game of a chicken with Kingsman 2. Both films were looking to begin filming in the same time frame, and as both plan to use Egerton in the lead, this presented a problem. Robin Hood ended up pushing their production back, probably because they aren't coming off of a $400 million outing like Kingsman. The delay has to be frustrating because there are far too many other Robin Hood screenplays floating around in the ether as it is.
Now we’ll wait and listen for casting news on the Sheriff of Nottingham, who is the other character that you can’t really make a Robin Hood film without. Apparently Prince John is optional. Who knew?
