A fearless and blameless hero, Robin Hood has spanned the centuries, exerting a tremendous fascination on the public. Will the one who steals from the rich to give to the poor return to the cinema?
Since 1908 and its first foray onto the big screen, the legend of Robin Hood has largely been a source of inspiration for filmmakers. There are countless adaptations of the adventures of the big-hearted bandit, whether in live action or animation.
A hero with a thousand facets
The one who robs the rich to give to the poor has been played by great comedians, from Douglas Fairbanks to Errol Flynn, including Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe. Disney even dedicated one of its best animated feature films to it in 1973.
A British hero from the oral tradition of the English Middle Ages, Robin Hood has never really been a figure that French cinema has captured. Max Boublil did make an attempt in the comedy Robin Hood, the True Story in 2015 but it ended in dismal failure with only 500,000 admissions and a rating of 1.5 out of 5 by AlloCiné spectators.
In 2018, the adaptation with Taron Egerton as a hooded bandit also did not find its audience. Directed by Otto Bathurst, the film was a resounding commercial flop with only $86 million grossed worldwide for a budget of $100 million. In France, it only attracted 365,000 curious people.
So Robin would no longer make recipes? This did not prevent Gaumont and Albertine Productions to launch a project around this legendary outlaw hiding in Sherwood Forest. It is November 2022 and the studio announces that Ludovic Bernard (10 days without mom) will take the helm of an ambitious film centered on Robin Hood.
Robin rascal, rascal, flirtatious rascal!
“The ambition of Robin Hood is immense. Robin is a bandit with a big heart: he is Saxon, he falls in love with a Norman woman, he is loyal to his king and he redistributes wealth. After Eroll Flynn, the fox of Walt Disney and Kevin Costner, our wish is to bring a French touch to this modern-day hero. I am very proud to approach this great adventure film with Gaumont, in an invaluable relationship of trust and loyalty.declared producer Matthieu Tarot, of Albertine Productions.
Since the announcement of this project, we have had no further news. Ludovic Bernard had time to produce two other works: 10 days again without mom and Ici et la-bas, in addition to two episodes of season 3 of the Lupine series. Will he finally tackle his Robin Hood after this?
For the moment, we have not been able to collect any information on this subject. However, after the success of large-scale historical frescoes like the Three Musketeers diptych and the upcoming Monte Cristo, it’s a safe bet that Robin Hood will be the next costumed hero on the list. Which actor would you see don the tunic and hood of the Sheriff of Nottingham’s famous enemy? We’ll let you debate it.
