Taron Egerton will be the next actor in a long line to play the iconic role of Robin Hood. A year before the film's release, the actor reveals some details about his version of the character and something it has in common with another popular take on the outlaw. The new Robin Hood will open by giving us some of the character's backstory before he comes to Sherwood Forest. We'll first meet Robin as a soldier in the Middle East, which was exactly how we met Kevin Costner's version of the character in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. According To Egerton...
My Robin Hood, as with Kevin Costner's, he's a soldier. We find him out in Syria. I don't think that's too much to say. He's flawed, my Robin Hood. He's a little self-involved and a little self-serving but over the course of the film becomes the hero of the legend. I suspect I'm probably one of the younger Robin Hoods but it's very dark. Gritty. I'm hoping that it will be very funny.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves opens with Robin of Locksley has a prisoner during the Crusades. It sounds like the new movie will give us something very similar, as that's about the only reason an Englishman would find himself in Syria during the era in which the film takes place. For Kevin Costner's version of Robin, this opening set up the primary relationship of the film between Robin and Azeem, played by Morgan Freeman. It honestly looks like something similar might happen in this Robin Hood, as the role of Little John is being played by Jamie Foxx, so perhaps those two will meet and become friends in Syria.
However, in one piece of information that looks to separate the two films, Taron Egerton's description of his character to Comicbook.com doesn't sound much like the version played by Kevin Costner. Costner's Robin was a pretty noble character all-around, however, Egerton says his Robin will start the film being much more self-involved, evolving over the course of the film to the hero that we know from the legends.
The movie is also going to be dark, gritty, and also funny, which seems like a lot of different ideas to pack into one movie. Generally, if your movie is dark and gritty, making it funny would tend to lessen those dark and gritty elements, but we'll give this one the benefit of the doubt until we see it. Maybe they found a way to make it work.
The new version of Robin Hood is set for release on September 21, 2019. Taron Egerton will be on screen this Friday in Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
