There's a new movie coming out in the Fall of 2018 called "Robin Hood" and the teaser poster and trailer are a bit misleading. The new movie stars Taron Egerton, (a relative unknown) and Jamie Foxx with top billing. In the new movie, Jamie Foxx's character isn't Robin Hood, but he teaches Robin Hood how to do basically EVERYTHING that makes him cool - like rob from the rich and give to the poor. Social media is already lighting the torches and sharpening the pitch forks, but is the online slaughter premature?
Now, for the moment, overlook the fact that a Black man is teaching a White man how to steal, and consider the historical significance of Robin Hood. The first known mention of Robin Hood was from Piers Plowman, written some time around 1377, and the main body of tales date from the fifteenth century. These are found in the tales of Robin Hood and the Monk (c.1450); The Lyttle Geste of Robyn Hode (written down c.1492-1510, but probably composed c.1400); and the C17th Percy Folio, which contains three C15th stories: Robin Hoode his Death, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne and Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar. None of these literary works reference a Black character - Little John. Robin Hood is a legendary character from a work of fiction, and people often took the name "Robin Hood" or some derivitave as early as the 13th century, making it even harder to track down the real Robin of Loxley and his companions.
Remakes and remixes have added all sorts of tweaks over the years. So this new version of Robin Hood shouldn't be judged so harshly. The legend of Robin Hood belongs to the public domain and shouldn't be taken too seriously. In fact, the noble outlaw is a theme I used in my book Serandes: Corporation City. And the romance between Robin and Maid Maryan can show similarities to the romance in Blood for Karen.
This new Robin Hood film from director Otto Bathurst promises lots of Assassins Creed style action and a sprinkling of romance, providing enough entertainment value to put out a decent showing in the theaters. Shouldn't that be enough?
Check out the new trailer for Robin Hood and decide for yourself.
Well, tell me your thoughts about the new Robin Hood movie in the comments.
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