First Look: Russell Crowe as Ridley Scott's Robin Hood

[AristotleP]

First Look: Russell Crowe as Ridley Scott's Robin Hood


Source: USA Today

First Look: Russell Crowe as Robin Hood


This is definitely the time where we're getting a lot of first looks from Hollywood! Over on USA Today, they've debuted the first photo of Russell Crowe as Robin Hood in Ridley Scott's version of Robin Hood. We've written plenty about this film for a while now, so I don't think there's much I need to say to introduce this photo, but thankfully producer Brian Grazer walks us through the new look anyway. "He doesn't have the old Robin Hood tights," Grazer says. "He's got armor. He's very medieval. He looks, if anything, more like he did in Gladiator than anything we're used to seeing with Robin Hood." Oh hell yes, bring it on!

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood

"Oddly, it's a metaphor for today," Grazer tells USA Today. "He's trying to create equality in a world where there are a lot of injustices. He's a crusader for the people, trying to reclaim some of the ill-gotten gains of the wealthy. That's a universal theme." Anyone else out there getting shivers just thinking about seeing a Gladiator-like version of Robin Hood? Because I am! Ridley Scott has directed a few fairly underwhelming film recently (e.g. Kingdom of Heaven, A Good Year, Body of Lies), and nothing has been as good as Gladiator, at least since that hit in 2000, but this time I think he may finally be getting back to that.

[dnwilliams]

looks just like the bbc robin hood

[David Hawk]

Yes but at least Crows Hood doesn't look like he needs to be wet-wiped by his mummy.

[Sheridan Passell]

I hated the BBC Robin Hood series.

[dnwilliams]

i'm not a fan either, ot that it was offensively bad, just bland beyond belief. plus, it aggravates me that the bbc constantly passes off crap like that as 'original' programming...

[dalmatianjaws]

I watched an Emmy screener of BBC's Robin Hood ... I could't get past teh credit sequence, which was basicalyl the director's friends running throught eh woods with torches.

Worst editing of any TV show I've ever seen period.

[David Hawk]

It really was terrible, everything about it was poor, from the woefully miscast Jonas as Robin, the editing as you mentioned dalmationjaws, to the scripts to keith Allens pitiful attempt to do his best Alan Rickman impression.
The problem with the BBC is that they seem to think that to make good telly you need to represent The Yoof.

[Sheridan Passell]

The other problem is that UK TV audiences love total crap. Have you seen the ratings for 'My Family'?

[AristotleP]

Ridley Scott Casts Matthew Macfadyen as The Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood

Initially the screenplay for Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood called for Russell Crowe to play a dual role as both the Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood, but that idea was dropped early on. Scott decided to go a different direction. He has said in interviews that the Sheriff character is “less important”, and that the main villain of the story is actually the country of France. After countless casting announcements, not one mention of the actor who would play the Sheriff, even though there was mention of the character in the official plot synopsis. I wasn’t really interested in many of the news stories tonight so I decided to do some digging, and have found the answer.

34-year-old British actor Matthew Macfadyen, best known as Fitzwilliam Darcy in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, has supossedly been cast in the role of the Sherrif of Nottingham. Macfadyen revealed that he had been cast in “Nottingham” (the previous title of the project) at a public Masterclass event on April 17th. The actor’s agent finally confirmed the role details with the Darcylicious fansite. Macfadyen most recently appeared as John Birt in Frost/Nixon. His credits also include Death at a Funeral, Incendiary and the BBC mini-series Little Dorrit.

The main cast has already been announced: Russell Crowe as Robin Hood, Cate Blanchett as Lady Marion, Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Eleanor, Mark Strong as Sir Godfrey, Oscar Issac as King John, Léa Seydoux as French Princess Isabella, and the Merry Men: Scott Grimes as Will Scarlet, Kevin Durand as Little John, Alan Doyle as Allan Adayle.

Official Plot Synopsis: Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as Robin Hood, whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

The untitled Robin Hood adventure chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion (Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.

[Sheridan Passell]

He's a dull actor. Shame.

[T.ROSS]

Yes but at least Crows Hood doesn't look like he needs to be wet-wiped by his mummy.

Ha ha thats good!

I hope this movie is badass! Ridley Scott has the potential....

[dnwilliams]

UK TV audiences love total crap.

amen

[David Hawk]

Oh dont even go there with My Family, what total and utter tripe, it literally makes bile swish around in my mouth its that bad.

And ITV's not much better with garbage like Primeval and Demons

[Sheridan Passell]

A friend of mine had a small part in Primeval recently so I had to watch a whole episode. Oh. My. Lord.

[dnwilliams]

i tuned in for ep one, which went like this:



ordinarily, that clip would have obvious redeeming factors, but that show is irredeemably bad. British genre TV hasn't been good since the 60s.

[Sheridan Passell]

The recent episode I saw was far worse than that. They've abandoned dinosaurs and are doing any old creatures/phenomena now.

Why is every man in these shows a cocky unfunny bell end?

[dnwilliams]

because they went to drama school

[dalmatianjaws]

Bell End? Explain please.

Primeval is such a fun, simple concept for a highly enjoyable show. I'm not surprized it isn't award-worthy, but how dare they make it that fricking boring. Sheridan, what do you mean by old creature/phenomena?

Hey, is The IT Crowd a British show? My friend tried to get me to watch a clip on YouTube and it was utterly shit. Reminds me of the fake sitcom from Extras.

[Sheridan Passell]

Bell End = End Of Nob

So a friend of mine is a RADA-trained stage actor but sometimes he gets TV roles. For some reason he keeps being cast as characters who are 'faintly retarded' and you can always tell he's doing one of those parts because he's wearing a baseball cap. He was cast in an episode of Primeval where he had to battle a cgi gremlin which came through a portal / plot loophole or something.

The IT Crowd is a British show. The fact it's popular here is enough of a warning.

[dnwilliams]

haha awesome. i know someone that works at rada, it's a bit mad the varying degrees of success people have that go there...especially considering how small their intake is