‘The Death of Robin Hood’ (2026) Trailer For Hugh Jackman Film Advertises the Death of The Legend, If Not the Character Himself
Anyone with even a beginner’s knowledge of English folk tales can recite the legend of Robin Hood while asleep. This green-clad ace archer was the original outlaw hero – a thief who robbed from the wealthy and shared his loot with those less fortunate. His centuries-old legend permeates countless onscreen tales of romanticized criminals, from 1967’s groundbreaking “Bonnie and Clyde” to last year’s stranger-than-fiction dramedy “Roofman.” The upcoming film “The Death of Robin Hood,” directed by Michael Sarnoski (“Pig,” “A Quiet Place: Day One”) and distributed by A24, knows this legend very well, but this movie’s raison d’être will be to call it out as an utter lie.
Hugh Jackman As the Anti-Hero (Emphasis on “Anti”)
“The Death of Robin Hood”‘s trailer, which A24 dropped on YouTube just yesterday, gets right down to business when it comes to destroying the romanticism of the ancient folktale. It opens with two people sitting around a fire. One is young and obscured by shadow, while the other is aged and grizzled (Hugh Jackman, sporting a thick grey beard and white-looking hair that make him appear older than his 57 years). “Would you like to know a secret?” Jackman’s world-weary storyteller asks the youth.
And what a secret he has to tell: Jackman’s character is none other than Robin Hood himself, and he promptly explains that all the stories told about the noble bandit are lies. “He was not a hero,” the storyteller declares, over clips of his younger self violently invading a peasant village with his “Merry Men.” One of these accomplices slams a bludgeon into the face of a surprised guard, resulting in a swift and brutal death.
Redemption on an Island Paradise?
But the titular “death of Robin Hood” isn’t necessarily just an idiomatic reference to the destruction of his beloved mystique. About 30 seconds into the trailer, we see him duking it out at close range with another skilled warrior, who strikes a blow that leaves him all but dead. Next thing we know, he’s convalescing on an idyllic-looking island, healed by a medically skilled local (Jodie Comer). “I owe you an apology,” she remarks with hardly a trace of irony, “You begged for me to let you die.”
This line is the first indication that Robin Hood is feeling remorseful about his innumerable savage misdeeds. This island, with its verdant fields, sunlit woods, and peaceful people who serenely recite “Sumer is Icumen in,” seems to be bringing out a gentle and caring facet of his soul. “I help those who come to this island,” Comer’s character says, “and people change their course.”
Robin Hood starts giving archery lessons to a local child (12-year-old actor Faith Delaney) who has survived “terrible things.” Soon, it seems that terrible things are going to befall the island, and that the former brigand will have to use his inordinate talent for killing (which he calls a “curse”) to preserve the safety of those who have taken him in.
Reaction – A Well-Made but Derivative Redemption Epic
Whenever a period and/or fantasy film is advertised, a prime question to ask is “How does it look?” I’m glad to report that the people behind “The Death of Robin Hood” have certainly put its budget to great use. The visual aesthetic of its medieval England accomplishes the delicate balance of appearing both lived-in and subtly mythic – a fairy-tale world made palpable. It’s not unlike one of the tactile fantasies created by A24 veteran Robert Eggers (though I must leave it to historians to judge whether it matches the acclaimed period authenticity of that great director). The night scenes are often too indistinct, but perhaps the trailer is strategically using murky visuals to cut down on spoilers.
The performances also pack quite a bit of raw power, especially Jackman’s gritty, brooding presence as this disturbing, disturbed version of Robin Hood. Comer and Delaney don’t get to showcase much depth in the clips displayed, but their gentle, haunted gazes instantly convey everything the trailer wants to show about their characters. In a sense, the acting in “The Death of Robin Hood” is in the same vein as its visuals: the actors are delivering raw and vivid performances to make archetypal characters feel like flesh-and-blood people.
Alas, a vividly realized archetype is still an archetype, and the redemptive arc of this movie’s initially brutal Robin Hood doesn’t seem to have many surprising or original elements in store. Depending on what the trailer is concealing, I may well be underestimating the film, and its capacity to wring emotional and moral complexity out of the premise of a former villain using the talent of his “curse” to redeem himself.
I certainly hope this is the case. While it already appears to be a more than passable dark period epic, it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed with a movie that declares itself to be a bold subversion of a time-honored legend but seems merely to substitute one archetype for another.
The release date of “The Death of Robin Hood” is not specified beyond the year 2026, so we may have to wait a while for it yet.
