Disney plan Robin Hood return

No one does recycling quite like Hollywood it seems, and just in case there were any lingering doubts as to whether or not this is in the environmentally-friendly sense of the word, Disney have just announced their intentions to make another Robin Hood movie, entitled Nottingham & Hood.

To make matters worse for those who have just about had it up to here with endless remakes and rehashes, there is even talk of it becoming a franchise in the same vein as Pirates of the Caribbean – double gulp!

However, there’s plenty of folk out there who just can’t get enough of the ace archer and his merry men, although with 2010’s Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe effort still fresh in the memory, even some diehards might admit it’s a little too soon to be giving Robin another outing.

Still, at least the title’s original, although how much Nottingham will actually be used as a location is a sore point. In Scott’s production, filming was due to take place in Sherwood Forest, but these plans were eventualy scrapped with alternative locations in England preferred.

Disney are currently producing a version of The Jungle book, which bears two striking similarities to the Robin Hood project. Firstly, studio rivalry. Disney are going head-to-head with Warner Bros., who have their own version in the works. Back to Robin Hood, and Sony have recently bought the rights to an adaptation called Hood, coinciding with Disney’s acquisition of the Nottingham & Hood screenplay.

Secondly, like The Jungle Book, Uncle Walt’s corner have previous form with an animated take on the tale, where Robin was depicted as a fox. Speaking of which, adaptations of the hooded man have been a bit of a mixed bag. Kevin Costner and the swashbuckling Errol Flynn would probably top the polls, although for some (including myself) the fox still has it!

There’s not much more to say at the moment, except that any slightly-overweight actor worth his salt should consider phoning his agent about the part of Friar Tuck very soon.