Hugh Jackman to Star in New Robin Hood Movie

Jackman will star in one of the outlaw's darkest, most beloved stories.

By Michael Hein

Hugh Jackman has been cast as the lead in The Death of Robin Hood, which got the greenlight from studio A24 last month. The script was written by Michael Sarnoski and it was the subject of a competitive Hollywood bidding war, according to a report by Deadline. Now A24 has the rights to the film with financing from Lyrical Media, so the movie is finally beginning to take shape.

Jackman has been cast as Robin Hood in this historical fiction, along with co-star Jodie Comer. Jackman is also an executive producer on the project along with Jon Rosenberg, Natalie Sellers and Rama Gottumukkala. This deal was reportedly made at the Cannes Film Festival, and was finally ironed out in late May. So far, commenters have shown tentative interest on social media, though many wonder if the Robin Hood character needs another grim, gritty depiction.

The Death of Robin Hood finds the legendary outlaw gravely injured after a battle that he didn't think he'd be able to win. Now aged past his prime, Robin Hood believes he has one last chance at salvation through the ministrations of a mysterious woman. At the same time, he looks back on his life of violence and crime, wondering if he did the right things.

It sounds like the movie draws heavily on the ballad Robin Hood's Death, which is one of the oldest recorded tales of Robin Hood in English literature. The oldest version was published in at least the 1600s, but could have come earlier. A more complete version of the same ballad was published in the 1700s.

The epic poem follows a similar plot – Robin Hood is sick or injured and is looking for medical help, so he sets out for the Churchlees Priory where his cousin is the prioress. She prescribes bloodletting to cure him, but she betrays him by purposefully draining too much blood from his body leaving him unable to recover. In some versions of the story, she is colluding with Robin Hood's nemesis, Red Roger, and he arrives to strike the killing blow once Robin Hood is weakened, only for Robin to strike at the same time, taking Roger down with him. Some versions also include Robin Hood's dying monologue where he fires one last arrow out the window and asks Little John to bury him wherever it landed.

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There's no telling how Sarnoski has tweaked this legend, especially knowing that so many versions of it have evolved in pop culture over the last few centuries. So far, reports have not mentioned which character Comer is playing, but it could be either the prioress or a mysterious woman in the forest who foresees Robin's death. Perhaps Sarnoski's version introduces new characters, or casts someone like Little John as a woman instead.

The Death of Robin Hood was just ordered but it won't hit the big screen for quite a while. Production is scheduled to begin in February of 2025. 

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