King Arthur: Legend of the Sword isn’t the only rebooted folklore classic cramming up the pipeline – over at Lionsgate, Peaky Blinders director Otto Bathurst is currently overseeing development on Robin Hood: Origins, a gritty origin story in which Taron Egerton plays the skilled archer and swordsman.
Filming is now underway in Budapest, Hungary, and the first wave of set photos are here to prove it. First spotted by The Dubrovnik Times, the images above offer but a fleeting glimpse of Egerton in costume as the legendary outlaw, who can be seen puckering up for a kiss with Maid Marian (Eve Hewson). Flanked by scores of extras and other cast members, it’s safe to assume Bathurst and the production team have kicked off with one of the film’s final scenes, after Hood and Co. have successfully robbed from the rich at the benefit of the poor.
That being said, Robin Hood: Origins has been pitched as a “real revisionist” take on the folklore classic, chronicling Hood’s return to Sherwood Forest at a time when his beloved home has succumbed to corruption and scandal. Battling PTSD and a society that’s threatening to collapse in on itself, all signs point to an adventure film that is decidedly different from Ridley Scott’s romp from 2010, and we understand screenwriter Joby Harold is the brains behind this new, alternative take.
Joining Hewson and Egerton on the casting docket are Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One) as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades Darker) as Will Scarlett, Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck and finally, Jamie Foxx as Little John.
The wheels have officially been set in motion, and providing everything goes according to plan, Robin Hood: Origins will be with us on March 23rd, 2018.