Lionsgate’s reimagining of the classic Robin Hood story starring Taron Egerton in the title role has received an official release date from the studio. According to Deadline, Robin Hood (previously titled Robin Hood: Origins) is set to debut in theaters on March 23rd, 2018.
Egerton will be joined by a stacked cast that will bring characters from the English folklore to life. The cast currently includes Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, Jamie Foxx as Little John and Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett. Deadline also revealed that actor Paul Anderson (The Revenant) will appear in the film; as of now, his role is unknown.
The film has been described as being “darkly toned,” as it reportedly follows the titular archer as he returns to the Sherwood Forest after fighting in the Crusades only to find that it is a place of wickedness and corruption. Hood decides to team up with a Moorish commander in order to combat evil and restore balance.
Coincidentally (or perhaps not so coincidentally), Otto Bathurst is attached to helm the picture, who directed Anderson in three Peaky Blinders episodes. Joby Harold has been hired for both scripting and producing duties, the latter of which he will be doing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Tory Tunnell and Basil Iwanyk.
This will be the first major Robin Hood movie since Ridley Scott’s Russell Crowe-led one in 2010, which, despite doing relatively good business at the box office in the face of poor reviews, didn’t bring in enough to warrant a sequel.