Robin Hood is one of those fabled characters like King Arthur and Peter Pan that fall into the category of public domain. That means that filmmakers/studios don't have to pony up rights fees for these characters - so they will occasionally go to them when trying to build a franchise with reliable name recognition. The latest attempt to give us a fresh new interpretation of one of these characters comes in next year's Robin Hood, starring Taron Egerton as the prince of thieves. While we are still waiting for a teaser or trailer for the film, we now have a look at Egerton in the title role before his character realizes that green is his color. Take a look.
This image from the film's official Twitter account shows Taron Egerton's Robin Hood joined by Jamie Foxx's Little John in what does not appear to be England, based on the architecture. Robin looks quite serious here, as one might expect of someone who has fought in the crusades. We have heard that this film will be a dark and gritty take on the classic tale, and the aesthetic in this picture seems more or less in line with that. Robin Hood hasn't taken up his iconic Lincoln green colors yet, but perhaps he is just waiting on Colin Firth to take him to a proper tailor. The folk superhero needs his costume, but I would expect a muted camouflage green, because of the dark and gritty. Jamie Foxx also looks appropriately badass as Little John in what seems to be a new take on Robin's right hand man with elements of Azeem from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
In addition to Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx, Robin Hood features the talents of Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlet and Eve Hewson as Maid Marian. And in an incredible bit of casting that should challenge Alan Rickman's awesome scenery-chewing performance in the aforementioned 1990s film, Ben Mendelsohn will portray the Sheriff of Nottingham. The film, which has hit a few bumps during production, is directed by Otto Bathurst based on a script by Joby Harold. Otto Bathurst is primarily a TV director and would best be known to American audiences for directing episodes of Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror.
While some will debate the merit of another Robin Hood film, I am always up for a solid telling of the tale. I tend to lean more towards a classic telling done really well than any sort of vast departure. The most recent take on the character was Ridley Scott's version, and despite talent on both sides of the camera, that film is anything but memorable. This take has drawn several comparisons to the Kevin Costner-starring Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which itself was fairly dark and gritty despite Robin Hood's American accent. If this film can capture the best elements of that film, pair them with modern action sensibilities, and try to say something interesting, it could stand out from all the interpretations that came before it.
Robin Hood steals into theaters on September 21, 2018. Check out the rest of the biggest movies hitting next year in our release schedule. For all the latest in the grittiest of gritty reboots, keep it here on CinemaBlend.
