Andrew Garfield to Lead Peasants’ Revolt in ‘The Uprising’
Paul Greengrass's fourteenth-century-set historical drama will hit theaters in September.
Focus Features has set a release date for The Uprising (originally titled The Rage), a historical drama that follows the untold true story of a ferocious rebellion against King Richard II. Directed by Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips), the film is set during the Peasants’ Revolt, a major uprising that took place across much of England in 1381.
The rebellion stemmed from a variety of socio-economic and political factors, including high taxes, the rise of the religious movement known as Lollardy, the ongoing Hundred Years’ War, and the long-term social impact of the Black Death, which killed somewhere around half of the country’s population and, subsequently, allowed laborers to charge more for their work.
While this hasn’t been confirmed by anyone actually involved with the film, it seems extremely likely that Garfield is playing Wat Tyler, the leader of the revolt, a (likely) Kentishman who led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the collection of a poll tax and demand other economic reforms (most notably, an end to serfdom). Tyler and the rebellion enjoyed brief initial success, securing a meeting with the young King Richard II, who was just 14 at the time, and securing several royal guarantees in response to the group’s demands.
Unfortunately, Tyler was badly wounded by officers loyal to King Richard during later negotiations at Smithfield and was ultimately beheaded. In the wake of his death, his followers were driven from London, and the king revoked all the concessions he had previously granted.
(Fun fact: People of this time period wouldn’t have referred to these events as the Peasants’ Revolt, as the word “peasant” wouldn’t even technically exist until the 15th century. But good branding is good branding.)
Here’s the film’s synopsis.
Andrew Garfield stars as the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. As war burns across England, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice and survival.
Alongside Garfield, the ensemble cast includes Jamie Bell (Half Man), Stephen Dillane (Sherwood), Tom Hollander (The Iris Affair), Cosmo Jarvis (Shogun), Thomasin McKenzie (Fackham Hall), Jonny Lee Miller (The Crown), Woody Norman (Poldark), and Katherine Waterston (The Agency).
Greengrass is directing from his own script, and produces alongside Gregory Goodman and Joanna Kaye. Also producing are Jason Blum for Blumhouse, Lars Sylvest for Thank You Pictures, and Joe Neurauter for Supernix.
The Uprising will be released in theaters on Friday, September 11, 2026.
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