‘The Director’s Cut Is the Movie We All Thought We Were Releasing’ — Russell Crowe Responds to Robin Hood’s ‘Unfair’ Comparisons to Gladiator, 16 Years Later

Remember the 2010 Robin Hood movie? The one directed by Ridley Scott with Russell Crowe in the title role? It struggled at the box office and reportedly resulted in a loss during its theatrical release. Now, 16 years later, Crowe has discussed its various problems, which weren’t helped by comparisons to Scott and Crowe’s blockbuster Gladiator.

IGN’s Robin Hood movie returned a 5/10. We said: “Robin Hood isn’t a bad movie. But it is a frustrating, deeply flawed and wholly unnecessary one. Its problems were all on paper and in conceptualization not necessarily in execution. The film ends on an obvious sequel note, but it’s equally obvious that this installment is simply too mediocre to ever warrant a sequel. By stripping the story of its core mythology, this Robin Hood will leave you wondering how the hell this legend has managed to survive for so many centuries. Where’s the merry in that?”

Crowe took to social media to respond to one fan who said Robin Hood received “unfair” comparisons to Gladiator, which had been released a decade prior. The Master and Commander and L.A. Confidential star said that 17 minutes were cut for the cinema release, and that the director’s cut “is the movie we all thought we were releasing.”

“The director’s cut is the movie we all thought we were releasing,” Crowe said. “However, 17 minutes were cut for the cinema release. A minute is a long time on screen. Imagine any of your favourite movies with 17 minutes of the most emotional connective tissue removed… watch the director’s cut.

Then, responding to another fan who said they felt the movie was more than a Robin Hood origin story, Crowe agreed, confirming the plan was to tell the character’s story in three parts.

“That was the idea. To be told in three parts,” Crowe said. “When I started digging in to RH, I found the story and its roots in Greene Man mythology deeply interesting. The tale of Robin lasted hundreds of years, how? It was my idea to show that RH was a title, passed down, not one man.”

Crowe’s Robin Hood didn’t put Hollywood off from making other movies based on the character. Indeed, another is coming up. Last month we got the first trailer for The Death of Robin Hood, giving us our first look at Hugh Jackman, star of Deadpool & Wolverine, The Greatest Showman, and The Prestige, as the legendary archer.

Photo by Fotonoticias/WireImage.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].