'The Death of Robin Hood' Offers an Unconventional Take on the Famous Folk Hero
The Death of Robin Hood will bring a version of the character that’s much darker and less heroic than we’re used to.
Robin Hood adaptations tend to arrive in our pop culture fairly regularly. A lot of them feel pretty similar — young man forced to turn outlaw for a variety of reasons who robs from the rich and gives to the poor — and most of the ones that have been released in recent years have been pretty bad. (The notable exception to this rule has been MGM+’s 2025 TV version, which is much better than its general buzz /popularity would indicate.)
The last big feature film version — also unimaginatively named Robin Hood — was released back in 2018. It starred Taron Egerton (Lewis) and...was not great. But buzzy studio A24, which made critically acclaimed hits such as The Green Knight and Everything Everywhere All at Once, is set to release a take on the legend unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
The Death of Robin Hood will see Hugh Jackman (The Sheep Detectives) take on a version of the character that’s much darker and less heroic than we’re used to. “People speak of Robin Hood, telling stories. They’re all lies,” his voice intones over clips of his character wielding an ax and dragging a body into a shallow grave.
The film sees Jackman play a Robin Hood at the end of his life, wrestling with the questions of legacy, guilt, and regret. (If you feel like this whole thing has some serious Old Man Logan vibes, well... you’re probably not alone.)
Here’s the synopsis.
Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, Robin Hood finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last. In the hands of a mysterious woman, he is offered a chance at salvation.
Alongside Jackman, the cast also includes Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Bill Skarsgård (It: Welcome to Derry), Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), and Noah Jupe (The Night Manager).
The project is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One), a self-proclaimed lifelong “Robin Hood-head,” according to a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“There’s an old quote about Robin that sort of says he’s this murderous bandit who the common folk have decided to glorify,” he told EW. “And I wanted to examine someone who was going through that in their lifetime, and trying to grapple with the role of storytelling and their actual identity.”
The film is produced by Aaron Ryder, Andrew Swett, and Alexander Black. Pat Scola is the director of photography, and Andrew Mondshein is the editor.
The Death of Robin Hood will hit theaters on June 19, 2026.
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