Nottingham-bound ... Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller. Photographs: AP/Getty
Ridley Scott has begun to firm up the cast list for his forthcoming revisionist version of the Robin Hood legend, Nottingham. It's long been known that Russell Crowe would reunite with Scott as a decent Sheriff of Nottingham: now we know that Maid Marian will be played by Sienna Miller.
Scott plans to make his Robin something of a villain, and ironically he may be closer to the historical truth than most of us realise. History tells us that the Robin Hood legend grew over the centuries: the original outlaw was probably little more than a common bandit. At the same time, there's a danger in taking a much-loved character and subverting it. Hollywood usually holds firm to the popular perception of folk heroes, because producers know that audiences do not want to see a heroic Darth Vader or a villainous Florence Nightingale.
Will this new version of the Robin Hood story work? And if so, which other villains and heroes would you like to see in a new guise?
