The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bathurst went in new direction with ‘Robin Hood’
Otto Bathurst (“Peaky Blinders”) had one question when the possibility arose for him to direct a feature film based on the story of Robin Hood. He wanted to k now why anyone would want to make another production featuring the archer who robbed from the rich to give to the poor. There have been hundreds of TV, film and stage works featuring the tale.
Despite his initial anxieties, Bathurst moved forward with “Robin Hood.” Taron Egerton (“Kingsmen: The Secret Service”) stars as Robin alongside a cast that inclu des J amie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson and F. Murray Abraham.
“It became very, very clear that nobody on the team — least of all me — wanted to m ake a traditi o nal Ro b in Hood film like we had seen before,” Bathurst says.
“Once it became clear that we were going to be doing something radically different then we got really excited about it.”
The Robin Hood story as told by Bathurst and his team starts with Robin, a veteran of the Crusades, returning to find his home and life in ruins. Instead of moving into the woods with a bunch of merry men, Robin begins train- ing secretly while working his way into favor with the Sheriff of Nottingham (Mendelsohn).
Bathurst has replaced the familiar sword-and-shield action w ith major stunts that range from a mas- sive chase scene to using machinery that fires arrows with the force and speed of a machine gun. Even the look of the movie has ditched the green tights and given all of the Nottingham big shots looks right out of aParis fashion show.
The changes in approach by Bathurst give the story a contemporary feel.
“For me, t heRobinHood story exists because wher- ever you have corruption, wherever you have political parties or r uling par- ties, religion oppressing the people, wherever you have wars, you need a Robin Hood. You need people ready to stand up and be prepared to sacrifice themselves to make change. That’s why the story has lasted so long,” Bathurst says. “Now, when you look at the 21st century, we have more political corruption than ever and wars being fought all over the world.
“Now more than ever do we need a Robin Hood. So we decided to take this myth and dump it into a 21st century version that feels alive and visceral. And most importantly, make a movie a modern audience could relate to.”
One of the biggest keys to making the plan work was finding the right actors to play the hero and villain. The only person considered to play Robin was Egerton because Bathurst saw in him a great actor and movie star, plus he has the necessary kind of everyman appeal.
Bathurst wants audience members to be able to relate to Robin to the point that they start thinking they could be him. The direc- tor points out that most of the movies feature heroes who have powers and abil- ities beyond mortal men, so there never is a chance for the audience to feel a deep connection.
“I want the story to inspire and wake people up, not just to numb them into wanting more of this rubbish,” Bathurst says.
In casting the counterpart to Robin, Bathurst didn’t want to have the Sheriff be a“must ache-twirling baddie,” but somebody who at the beginning feels like a smooth-talking charismatic politician. As the story unfolds, that’s when the dark core of the Sheriff begins to get revealed. He knew Mendelsohn had the acting skills to make all those elements work.
Bathurst knew the right casting of Robin and the Sheriff were vital, but the role he was most passionate about was Marian (Eve Hewson). His view of Marian in o therworkshasbeen a one-dimensional character who did little to serve the story other than to give Robin a damsel to save. He was determined to make his Marian strong, intelligent and a major trailblazer in the battle with the Sheriff.
All this means Bathurst has taken a huge gamble with his different approach to a familiar story. But, he wouldn’t have moved forward had he been expected to make another film based on Robin Hood that was the same as all the others.