The failure of not one, but two big-budget Robin Hood movies should make me worried about Hugh Jackman’s upcoming retelling, but The Death Of Robin Hood sounds too intriguing for me to discount the movie just yet. Robin Hood is arguably one of the most perennially popular folk heroes in history. An outlaw who stole from the rich to give to the poor, Robin Hood is the sort of charismatic antihero that almost any director could turn into a roguish protagonist.

Despite this, even though over 19 actors have played Robin Hood throughout the decades, the name is almost as synonymous with big-budget failures as beloved folk tales. Disney’s light-hearted animated take on the character, recast as a charming fox, was a big hit in 1973. However, Kevin Costner’s star vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves failed to impress critics in 1991, and the character’s fortunes only deteriorated from there. 2010’s Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe collaboration Robin Hood under-performed financially and flopped critically upon release.

Why 2010 & 2018’s Robin Hood Adaptations Didn’t Work

2010’s Robin Hood Was Too Dark and 2018’s Was Too Predictable

With some reports claiming that its budget ballooned to over $200 million, 2010’s Robin Hood was a box-office disappointment when the Russell Crowe movie earned only $321 million. Moreover, its critical reception was dire, with reviewers calling the retelling too dark and humorless to fit the myth viewers grew up with. Scott and Crowe brought the same moody, brooding intensity to the historical drama as they did to Gladiator a decade earlier, but Robin Hood proved a less fitting story for this approach.

The story of Robin Hood is one that is somewhat inherently upbeat, following, as it does, the story of an antihero who defeats the authorities and stands up for the proverbial little guy. Scott and Crowe made an admirable stab at offering a grittier version of this myth, but 2010’s Robin Hood was a misguided misfire that felt more gratuitously grim than subversive or original. Meanwhile, the next big-budget take on the myth had even bigger problems.

2018’s Robin Hood starred Taron Egerton in the тιтle role, with Jamie Foxx playing Little John while Ben Mendelsohn took on the role of the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham. Earning only $86 million on a budget of $100 million, Robin Hood was a genuine catastrophe. Its reviews were also almost universally negative, with even the kindest critics calling the blockbuster pointless and repeтιтive, while others dubbed 2018’s Robin Hood uninspired, bland, and predictable.

The Death Of Robin Hood Already Has A Very Exciting Cast & Crew

Pig’s Director Makes The Project More Unpredictable And Intriguing

This long history of flops seems like it would make the prospect of Hugh Jackman playing Robin Hood in an upcoming movie worrying. However, I’m convinced Jackman’s The Death Of Robin Hood could be the best Robin Hood movie in decades. Pig director Michael Sarnoski told Collider that The Death Of Robin Hood was a “Smaller pᴀssion project” for him compared to his recent success, the blockbuster action-horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day One.

The Death Of Robin Hood will mostly focus on Jackman’s тιтle character as he expires in a house and reflects on his long life during his last moments. Co-starring Bill Skarsgard and Jodie Comer, The Death Of Robin Hood promises to be a darker, more elegiac take on the myth, which might ring alarm bells for anyone familiar with 2010’s grim retelling. However, it is worth noting that Jackman’s iconic turn in Logan and Sarnoski’s earlier hit Pig were both successful precisely because of their poignant, surprisingly dark, and reflective stories.

The Death Of Robin Hood Promises A Very Different Telling Of The Legend

Jackman’s Robin Hood Movie Tells A Darker, Sadder Story

Unlike most versions of the Robin Hood story, The Death Of Robin Hood promises to look at the darker side of the character’s life. Knowing from the тιтle alone that Jackman’s character ends up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ leaves viewers with a very different expectation for the story, and The Death Of Robin Hood can be less of a swashbuckling action adventure and more of a dark revisionist take on the folk tale. Sarnoski is no stranger to this sort of subversive storytelling. His breakthrough movie Pig initially seemed like a violent revenge thriller, but the thoughtful movie turned into something totally different.

Pig started out as the latest in a long line of John Wick clones, establishing Nicolas Cage’s lead character as a solitary loner before giving him a compelling revenge quest. However, 2021’s Pig transformed into a complex story about loss, redemption, and impermanence instead of the bloody thriller viewers might have anticipated. Similarly, The Death Of Robin Hood can forewarn viewers with its тιтle that it won’t be an action-forward blockbuster, and the historical drama can then allow Jackman to offer a more complicated, morally grey take on the famous character than viewers are accustomed to.

Robin Hood’s Big Screen Struggles Go Back Further Than 2010

Even Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood Blockbuster Wasn’t Great

What makes The Death Of Robin Hood particularly exciting is the fact that even the good Robin Hood movies aren’t all that good. This writer might have endless time for the Disney take on the character, but it is hard to deny that the cheaply produced movie features a lot of recycled animation and a brief runtime. Similarly, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves might have been a box office hit, but outside the late, great Alan Rickman’s villainous performance, the blockbuster wasn’t very good.

Even Mel Brooks’ parody of Prince of Thieves, Robin Hood: Men In тιԍнтs, is fondly remembered in part because it was one of the comedy legend’s final theatrical outings. Compared to Blazing Saddles or even Spaceballs, it is hard to argue that Robin Hood: Men In тιԍнтs is one of Brooks’ best outings and this was reflected in the largely negative reviews the spoof received upon release.

This is arguably a good thing for The Death Of Robin Hood since it means that Sarnoski and Jackman’s movie could become the definitive cinematic portrayal of the character. Since the figure has been a folk legend for so long and there are so many movies focusing on the character, it is easy to forget that there are precious few truly great Robin Hood movies. Fortunately, The Death Of Robin Hood could change that when the Hugh Jackman movie is released in 2026.

Source: Collider