A new film starring Andrew Garfield, initially titled The Uprising, has been revealed by Focus Features to be an origin story for Robin Hood, surprising many fans ahead of its September 10 release in US theaters. The movie, directed by Paul Greengrass, will now carry the tagline The Rise of Robin Hood, a detail unveiled on social media this week.
The film’s new plot synopsis states it is set against the true events of the 1381 English Peasants’ Revolt, which inspired the Robin Hood legend. Garfield’s character, credited as Ploughman on IMDb, forms an army to challenge the King in a fight for justice. Cosmo Jarvis is cast as the historical figure Wat Tyler, a leader of the actual revolt. This blending of historical events with the fictional character of Robin Hood has caused confusion among social media users, with some expressing disappointment, expecting a purely historical drama about the Peasants’ Revolt.
Historically, most Robin Hood tales are set centuries before the 1381 revolt. This marks the second Robin Hood film released this year, following Hugh Jackman and A24’s The Death of Robin Hood, which did not achieve financial success. Garfield’s character is described as a fictional everyman farmer whose family died in the Black Death. When faced with further taxation for foreign wars, he takes a stand, becoming a significant figure in the Peasants’ Revolt.
In a recent profile, Garfield discussed the brutal conditions faced by working-class people during that period, including heavy taxation post-plague and government incompetence, drawing parallels to contemporary global issues. He noted the film could act as a Rorschach Test, with various political alignments potentially seeing their own perspectives reflected in the narrative.
