Jamie Foxx set to play Little John in ROBIN HOOD: ORIGINS

Sitting here and writing about all of this just feels wrong, for so many reasons – but let me explain.

If you missed it from the title there is a Robin Hood: Origins movie in the works. Whats wrong with this? Simply put, do we really need another Robin Hood movie? I don’t think so. You could argue that taking the story and making it an origin story so that we get more history as to where England’s beloved arrow shooting thief comes from. But didn’t we kind of already get one in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood? One could certainly make that argument, I mean how far into the characters history do they want to go?

Look, I’m obviously going to watch the movie when it’s released, just like I watched Walt Disney’s animated Robin Hood, Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Mel Brook’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights and the aforementioned Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood. And to be honest, I may just end up loving the movie, but we’re not there yet.

The movie is being directed by Otto Bathurst from a script written by Joby Harold, who penned the script for Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur. So far Bathurst has cast Kingsmen breakout star Taron Egerton as Robin Hood, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian and Jamie Foxx as Little John. Yes, that Jamie Foxx.

Now of course I don’t really care if Little John is black or white, but I do think that the choice of Foxx for this role is weird. As we have come to know him Little John is so-called ironically as he is of course very large! Which, last I checked, Foxx is not.I guess I can ignore that but surely there could have been one or two other actors that would be better suited. I’m thinking Edras Elba, Nonso Anozie, David Harewood or perhaps even Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. But Foxx? I’m not so sure.

This version of the Robin Hood story has the Robin returning home after fighting in the Crusades where he discovers that his beloved home Sherwood Forest has been overrun by corruption and evil. This of course leaves him with no choice but to get together his band of merry men to fight back against the powers that be. Little John, who fought on the opposite side of the war initially, doesn’t trust Robin Hood but eventually becomes the hooded archer’s right hand man and lieutenant.

What do you think about the Robin Hood: Origins story? Do you think Jamie Foxx is going to be a great Little John or will it be more of Li’l Jon situation?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 

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Last Updated: January 13, 2016