As Hollywood continues to reach back into its storied past for reboot and remake ideas, it was only a matter of time before the ever popular (and public domain) character of Robin Hood made his reappearance on the scene. There are right now not one but two Robin Hood-based films in the works. The first comes from Sony, who just paid a whole lot of money for a Robin Hood reimagining. Now, Disney is getting in on the fun with Nottingham & Hood, a live-action version of our favorite archer.
We actually know very little about Nottingham & Hood, which was written by first-timer Brandon Barker. The script is said to be a “revisionist” take on the Hood story, and something like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (we hope that means the first film and not the increasingly inexplicable sequels).
Disney has been doing the rounds on its original animated films recently, so why should a new version of the Robin Hood story be any different? We’ve already had Maleficent, we’re gearing up for Cinderella…can Snow White be far behind? Disney’s animated Robin Hood was not quite revisionist, of course, unless you count foxes and roosters combating wolves and lions in Merry Olde England “revisionist.” But while more recent versions of the Robin Hood character have been deathly serious (see Russell Crowe in Robin Hood or Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), we can expect Disney’s to be a bit more dashing and family-friendly.
We will keep an eye out for more news about Nottingham & Hood as it’s made available. Until then, why not think about who would be perfect to step into the green tights?