The first posters for the 2018 Robin Hood spotlight stars Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx as Robin Hood and John (who isn't "little" in this version, it seems). Lionsgate has shifted the film's release date back a couple times, but appears to finally be content with its current Fall 2018 launch frame. The studio even debuted Robin Hood footage in public for the first time last month, during its movie presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Once called Robin Hood: Origins, the movie (as its former title suggests) is an origin story that explores how Robin of Loxley (Egerton) went from hardened soldier to heroic outlaw after returning home from the Crusades to England. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Ready Player One's Ben Mendelsohn adds another villain role to his belt with Robin Hood, where he plays the infamously corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham. Other key players in the film include Eve Hewson (The Knick) as Maid Marian, comedian Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck, and Christian Grey himself (aka. Jamie Dornan) as Will Scarlet.

Lionsgate has now unveiled posters for both Egerton's Robin Hood and Foxx as John on the film's Twitter account. The Egerton poster in particular includes the tagline "The hero you know. The story you don't" (whereas the tagline for Foxx's poster is simply "Survivor, warrior, mentor"). Considering just how many Robin Hood movies have been made already, one suspects that claim isn't quite as accurate as Lionsgate would have you believe.

Like last year's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Robin Hood re-imagines a classic folk hero for the age of the superhero movie. (Legends of the Sword cowriter Joby Harold also worked on Robin Hood's script, as it were.) Deadline even describes the Robin Hood CinemaCon footage as "faster, snappier, more 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in its tone" than live-action Robin Hood films past. That's a far cry from either Kevin Costner's swashbuckling adventure Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves or Ridley Scott's portrayal of the Robin Hood story as a dreary historical war film, to name two oft-cited examples.

Robin Hood director Otto Bathurst did show a knack for stylishly realizing historical settings with his work on Peaky Blinders, so that bodes well for the film. At the same time, Lionsgate's multiple release date delays could be a sign of trouble with the final movie product. Moreover, Robin Hood will face some stiff competition from the sequel Creed 2 over its opening frame, among other films debuting that week. The outlook may improve once the trailer for Robin Hood drops, but for now it seems like this might be another Legend of the Sword-level box office disappointment in the making.

UPDATE: The Robin Hood teaser trailer is now online!

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Source: Lionsgate

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