We’ve known for months now that Russell Crowe would star in Ridley Scott’s new Robin Hood tale as the Sheriff of Nottingham, but there’s been no word so far on who might play Robin Hood, until now. Robin Hood is being played by Russell Crowe.

The word comes straight from the mouth of Ridley Scott, who told MTV that Russell Crowe will play both parts. He will be the Sheriff of Nottingham and he’ll play the Sheriff’s arch-enemy Robin Hood. I knew Ridley Scott liked Russell, after all he casts him in all of his movies, but this may be borderline actor obsession.

So how the heck will that work? Are the Sheriff and Robin twin brothers? Ridley wouldn’t say, his only hint was to suggest that the dual roles will be “a good old clever adjustment of characters. One becomes the other. It changes.”

What we do know about the movie is that this isn’t your standard Robin Hood tale. In this one, the Sheriff is supposed to be the good guy. Could the Sheriff and Robin Hood perhaps be the same person? Here’s my theory… Robin Hood is the Sheriff’s secret identity. By day he’s the Sheriff of Nottingham, by night he steals from the rich and gives to the poor as Robin Hood. That could be a great twist on a rather worn out tale, to give it a sort of Batman/Bruce Wayne dynamic. After all, everyone is out to copy The Dark Knight, and even Ridley Scott may not be immune to the Dark Knightization of Hollywood. Tihs could be a clever way to take the standard superhero tale which we’ve already seen enough of, and freshening it up by plopping it down in a more medieval setting.

UPDATE! Coming Soon has added information on Russell Crowe's role. He told them that we shouldn't expect to see him prancing around in traditional Robin Hood tights. According to Crowe, that doesn't make sense since they haven't been invented yet.