In September of last year we reported that the newly invigorated MGM+ would play host to a new Robin Hood series. The studio had some new life breathed into it after Amazon acquired the MGM name and catalog. It seemed only fitting a legendary name like MGM have some kind of legendary programing.
To be fair, there are few legends more well-known than that of Robin Hood. Last month we reported that the project had found its titular hero in Jack Patton, now we can say they found their Sheriff of Nottingham. And you can start making your jokes about how because of who’s playing him, the sheriff is going to die.
If you hadn’t guessed, Sean Bean is the new sheriff. There’s no denying the man’s ability as an actor. Bean’s film and television credits go from “Game of Thrones,” “GoldenEye,” “Snow Piercer,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and “The Martian.”
The question is what interpretation of the Sheriff is Bean being given to play? According to reports, the character is being given a good amount of depth and being portrayed as a well-intentioned man who firmly believes in the rule of law. He’s “a statesman, a strategist, and a builder of Nottingham itself. A loving father, a politician, and cousin to King Henry II…” Effectively they seem to be writing this version of the Sheriff as someone sympathetic but very much at odds with the actions of Robin Hood.
If that’s the case, then we could have a series that follows in the footsteps of things like “Breaking Bad” or “Dexter” where the antagonist is just a good man trying to do his job. Let’s face it, it’s been all too easy over time to cast the Sheriff of Nottingham as an unsympathetic jerk. The late Alan Rickman delightfully hammed up the role in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” and even Roger Rees‘ take on the character in “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” was an ass. Funny, though. We look forward to seeing what Bean does with the character when the series rolls out on MGM+.
The Sheriff of Nottingham remains one of the most well-known antagonists in the history of storytelling and Bean’s perfectly suited for the role. We’re looking forward to seeing what he does with it.
