The 'Robin Hood' Trailer Depicts the Birth of a Legend

The full trailer for MGM+'s new take on Robin Hood is here, and to what is likely the surprise of everyone it...looks great? That sounds a bit meaner than it should, but given the fact that it's been a minute since we've had a successful new take on this story — pretty sure neither of the recent film adaptations from 2010 or 2018 count — honestly, it's a relief that this looks as good as it does.

Newcomer Jack Patten stars as Robin Hood, who in this version appears to be radicalized by the execution of his father to start robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. But this latest adaptation of the legend attempts to give the well-known tale a bit more historical heft and depth, complicating the its often straightforward character types and leaning into the romance between Rob and Marian (Lauren McQueen) in a way that treats both characters as equals. (And, if this clip is anything to go by, feels more than a bit star-crossed.)

Setting its story in the years following the Norman conquest of England, Rob is reimagined as a Saxon forester's son, whose people are struggling to survive in this new land. Marian is the daughter of a Norman lord, a shift that gives their relationship some interesting new layers and tensions. Even Robin's adversaries are getting an upgrade: Sean Bean (Shardlake) is the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham, now a royal politician and statesman at Henry II's court, where he must fight his own political battles even as he hunts the band of outlaws in the neighboring forest. And Connie Nielsen (Close to Me) plays Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, a famous and influential figure in her own right, and mother of the English kings Richard and John. (Will we see either of them in this take on the story? It's too soon to say.)