Everything you think you know about Andrew Garfield’s new movie could be wrong. Or could be right. Originally titled The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood, the historical drama has officially dropped the ‘Robin Hood’ of it all. This comes after Focus Features released a poster promoting the film as origins for the legendary hero. But things get even more confusing from there for the Paul Greengrass film, and honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around whether Garfield’s new movie is actually about Robin Hood.
The upcoming 2026 movie is tackling the Peasants’ Revolt in England in 1381 and, I'll admit, the trailer has a Robin Hood feel to it. However, according to the UK distributor, the movie is NOT about the man who steals from the rich. In fact, they allegedly released a statement outright denying it (via World of Reel). Check it out:
Marketing materials posted by other countries that may appear in the UK online and on social media referencing Robin Hood are not issued or approved by us.
The movie industry has been trying to find a great Robin Hood story for decades. We currently have the MGM series Robin Hood with Jack Patten as the titular hero, which was renewed for a Season 2. Recent cast announcements include fan-favorite Once Upon a Time star Colin O'Donoghue as Prince Richard.
We also just saw Hugh Jackman’s polarizing Death of Robin Hood over the summer. If it’s not obvious by the title, the Michael Sarnoski movie is a grimmer take on the story than we usually see. Although by the look of the trailer, The Uprising has potential to be another sad Garfield movie. Perhaps those two projects are why the UK distributor wants to shift away from the ‘Robin Hood’ marketing? However, this seems to conflict with the US press release for the film, which reads:
Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice.
Confused yet? I am. By the premise and the trailer, it certainly SOUNDS like a "Robin Hood" movie. And the “army of the people” sure seems like a ‘band of merry men.’ Not to mention, Garfield’s playing a character simply called “the Ploughman,” which could turn out to be a Robin Hood figure. So the marketing could be attempting to walk back a spoiler.
Or it’s also possible this whole thing was to get attention for the movie, since the title change came just two weeks before it hits theaters on September 11. This release falls slightly after the US release of Garfield's The Magic Faraway Tree, which serves a genre pivot for the actor into a family-friendly fantasy that was definitely not about Robin Hood.
Though if The Uprising is about the bow-wielding hero, I’m still not sure. We'll have to wait and see if we get an answer when the movie hits theaters.
