Sarnoski's 'The Death of Robin Hood' Revives 12th-Century Outlaw as 19 June US Release Nears
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 18
Sarnoski's 'The Death of Robin Hood' Revives 12th-Century Outlaw as 19 June US Release Nears
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 18
Summary
Hugh Jackman’s Robin arrives as an ageing, battle-worn outlaw who rejects his own heroic legend, with The Death of Robin Hood opening in the US on 19 June.
Michael Sarnoski says the film grew from his fascination with the gap between Disney’s 1973 fox hero and medieval ballads that portrayed Robin as violent, morally grey and driven less by charity than defiance.
That earlier tradition began as a 12th-century oral tale and was later softened: 16th-century retellings made Robin noble, while 19th-century children’s books and 20th-century films cemented the family-friendly stereotype.
Sarnoski and novelist Amy S. Kaufman argue darker revisions feel current because they question how power and storytelling create heroes and villains in a polarized age.