Robin Hood has had many incarnations over the years - everything from Erol Flynn swahsbuckling his way across the screen, Michael Praed and Jason Connery in the beloved HTV series, Kevin Costner battling the Sheriff of Nottingham (and an English accent) and even Disney's classic animated animal in the shape of a fox.
But BBC America is undertaking a new take on the legend and given it a distinctive twist. What if Robin Hood and his nemesis the Sheriff of Nottingham were... the same man??? Once you've picked up your quiver of arrows from the floor at the mere thought of the idea, there's something to be said for the dramatic possibilities. The premise would be that the dastardly Sheriff's wife is killed by Prince John's men and he secretly swears revenge against his ruler. Using all the insight and resources he has from his trusted position, he assumes a second identity of the hooded vigilante 'Robin Hood' and starts to undermine the crooked royal and gain support from the villagers he aids.
It's too early to talk about casting on the show, but the series will be written by Cole Hadden, who wrote the recent Dracula tv series and produced by Sony Pictures and Davis Entertainment (who have had a major success with their work on The Blacklist). The series could be another pivotal programme for BBC America who are already boasting a line-up that includes Doctor Who, Fleming, Orphan Black and will soon be joined by the likes of sci-fi drama Intruders (with Mira Sorvino and John Simms).
