A classic medieval hero gets a bold reimagining in A24’s The Death of Robin Hood. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One), the film follows the legendary archer, played by Hugh Jackman, as he grapples with a lifetime of violence and regret. After his latest adventure leaves him gravely wounded, Robin Hood gains an unexpected chance at redemption under the care of the mysterious Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer).

Though Robin Hood has been adapted countless times for film and television, Sarnoski’s movie stands far apart from its predecessors. By reshaping familiar characters and placing them in a brutal, intense narrative, Sarnoski breathes new life into a centuries-old legend, making it feel more grounded, tragic, and riveting than ever before.

In an interview with Digital Trends, Sarnoski discussed depicting Robin Hood as a deeply flawed figure, working with Jackman and Jodie Comer, and using gut-wrenching violence to tell a gritty story about guilt, forgiveness, and redemption.

How The Death of Robin Hood reinvents iconic characters and stories

Sarnoski said he chose to explore Robin Hood’s demise after growing up on the character’s stories. Though he didn’t think audiences needed another Robin Hood adaptation, he found himself compelled to write the film he had in mind before making A Quiet Place: Day One. In the end, he found himself so moved and engaged by his screenplay that he knew he had to make it into a movie.

“I had always loved the death of Robin Hood legend,” said Sarnoski. “It comes from an old ballad that I was introduced to as a pretty young kid. And it always stuck with me as, “Wait, what?”  This is how the Robin Hood story ends. There’s something beautiful and poetic, yet really simple and human about it. So I knew it was always something I wanted to explore.”

However, rather than presenting Robin Hood as a youthful rebel fighting injustice, the film depicts him as an old, regretful outlaw haunted by his horrible past. Early on, it is established that the heroic stories about Robin stealing from bad people and giving to the meek were false. Robin is instead a ruthless, thrill-seeking outlaw who has no problem killing men, women, or children. With every life he took, he had to slay generations of family members seeking vengeance.

By the time the film begins, Robin Hood is a ferocious yet remorseful old man counting the days until he meets his end and pays off his countless “blood debts,” with Jackman capturing both the ferocity and humanity of his character. He makes Robin compelling even at his most horrific. But as Robin seizes the chance at a new life, Jackman delivers a poignant performance that lifts this tale of forgiveness and redemption even higher.

“[Jackman’s] put so much thought and effort into this character,” said Sarnoski. “When he first read the script, and I sat down with him, it was so clear that he was so moved by it and engaged in all [these] sort of ambiguities and the gray areas of this character, and he really wanted to unpack that…I’ve been very lucky in my career to work with some amazing actors, and he [is] no exception. We could not have made this movie without him.”

Jodie Comer provides the film’s beating heart

Meanwhile, Sister Brigid subverts another core character from Robin Hood lore: the prioress who betrayed and killed him by letting him bleed to death. Brigid is reimagined as a compassionate caretaker dedicated to protecting children and healing the wounded at her priory.

Sarnoski also revealed that he wrote Brigid’s character specifically for Comer, saying the latter “manages to carry so many layers in her performances where she can be profound and wise and feel like beyond her years, and then also where she can feel so sweet and almost childish and human.”

“It was this quiet, gentle, sweet character who has just like multitudes within her, and is really kind of carrying a lot,” Sarnoski added. “The Prioress needed someone like that to sort of stand in opposition to and [mirror] that Robin Hood character that was so intensely played by Hugh, and I can’t imagine a better pairing.”

While Robin and Brigid are polar opposites of their traditional counterparts, the tension between them remains crucial to the story. The revelation that Robin murdered Brigid’s husband creates a fresh, fascinating dynamic built on grief, guilt, and forgiveness, giving Robin’s last adventure new meaning and emotion.

The movie displays the true brutality of medieval life

Popular culture tends to romanticize the medieval era, presenting it as a simpler time filled with gorgeous castles, gallant knights, and thrilling adventures. However, The Death of Robin Hood shatters that fantasy by presenting the harsh reality people lived through during that time period.

Beginning with a peasant girl traveling through the loud, windy mountains, the movie sets a tone that is just as harsh and unforgiving as its protagonist. Even an ordinary conversation between her and Robin quickly turns into a life-or-death struggle, showing just how far people were willing to go just to stay alive back then.

Despite how graphic and violent The Death of Robin Hood is, the bloodshed isn’t glamorized. Sarnoski stated that he didn’t want to approach the violence more like a horror or war film than a Hollywood action or superhero film.

This isn’t some epic tale of armored knights battling on horseback with swords. Instead, ordinary people bash each other into the mud and rip their flesh apart, leaving them with wounds that linger long afterward.

Sarnoski makes us feel the pain of each slash, each burn, each arrow. He makes his audience sit with the agony long after the battle is over. This disturbing execution captures the brutal horror of Robin’s criminal lifestyle, making it far less appealing than the romanticized adventures many people know him from.

“It was supposed to be unpleasant and difficult because that’s what Robin and these other characters are grappling with for the rest of the movie,” Sarnoski explained. “The guilt and difficulty that violence has spread in their lives and this cycle of violence. So we really need to land it as like, “Hey, no, we’re saying Robin was not a hero, and this was a brutal world, and he lived a brutal, brutal life. Not a fun swashbuckling life.” 

Don’t go into this movie expecting a non-stop killing spree akin to John Wick or Sisu. The Death of Robin Hood is not a high-octane action film but rather a slow, thought-provoking character study that brutally and beautifully reimagines the story of Robin Hood.

What should audiences get from The Death of Robin Hood?

As the film’s title suggests, Robin Hood wasn’t going to be a happy, fairy tale ending. Sarnoski didn’t just deliver another dark take on a beloved folktale. He created a realistic, emotional drama that depicts humanity at its best and worst.

Hugh Jackman’s Robin Hood isn’t the hero many are familiar with, but that’s what makes this film so compelling. By transforming a noble outlaw into a flawed man pursuing peace and redemption, Sarnoski delivers one of the most unique, resonating, and insightful Robin Hood adaptations ever filmed.

“I hope audiences come in with an open mind, ready to see a version of Robin Hood that they never really expected they would see…And I hope people leave this [film] thinking about the stories they tell themselves and the stories they tell others and the stories they allow to be told to themselves and integrate it into their kind of souls,” said Sarnoski.

The Death of Robin Hood premieres in U.S. theaters on June 19.