Russell Crowe in ‘Robin Hood’: Dark, Violent and Very ‘Gladiator’

Life is funny.

I was planning to write about Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” today, a new film that opens on May 14th with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.

Then I ran into Kevin Costner at LAX. He was on his way to Nashville to play some music with his band. He looked great, like a movie star. A long time ago he was Robin Hood, very tongue-in-cheek and action-adventure. Costner was criticized for his accent, but the movie was a popcorn hit.

Now comes Crowe and Scott. I am told they’ve been screening the new Robin Hood for insiders. Everyone likes it. Universal is counting on a big hit leading into Memorial Day.’ Certainly the main actors at least have accents to begin with.

But wait: Does the public want a dark, brooding Robin Hood who takes Sherwood Forest seriously? Robin Hood movies and TV shows are always fun. The Ridley Scott movie doesn’t sound like fun from what I’ve been told. It’s dead serious. “I don’t know if it will make money,” says a source. “But it will be respected. It’s dark, violent and very Gladiator.”

“Robin Hood” started out as “Nottingham.” Many scripts came and went, and along with them, many millions of dollars. The shooting script was revised a lot while the movie was being shot. Crowe is prone to clashes with Scott. The rumors fly! Something tells me Universal won’t let anything but a blockbuster be the final release. Some good news: the supporting cast is said to be excellent. They include William Hurt, Mark Strong, Mark Addy, Oscar Isaac, and Danny Huston.

Costner, meantime, takes his band through Europe from mid February through the end of March. Check his Web site for details.