|
HOLLYWOOD—So few high-profile studio movies are being made today that it was
something of a surprise to discover recently that
Nottingham, Ridley Scott’s much-anticipated Robin
Hood drama, had been postponed, even with Russell Crowe
onboard in the role of a more likable-than-usual Sheriff
of Nottingham.
Universal Pictures, which is financing, cited labor
uncertainty, an unfinished script and seasonal concerns
about shooting during winter in forest locations that
needed to have the rich-green hue associated with leafy
Sherwood Forest.
The
original script, by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Bulletproof
Monk), had been such a hot property that Crowe
signed on immediately, prompting a studio bidding war
that was won by Universal and Brian Grazer’s Imagine
Entertainment, which will produce the film. Even though
Scott had tried to take the film (as a producer) to Fox
during the initial bidding war, he had a good-enough
relationship with Grazer (they made American Gangster
together) to sign on as the director. Scott immediately
passed muster with Crowe, who had starred in the
director’s Oscar-winning Gladiator and the more
recent (ahem, not quite as successful) A Good Year.
 So
if the film has a huge star and an A-plus filmmaker
raring to go, what’s really slowing it down? I had lunch
with Universal chairman Marc Shmuger, who offered some
answers:
The
original script had enormous appeal because it had what
Hollywood craves—a great part for a big movie star. But
it wasn’t exactly the kind of character Scott imagined
for his vision of Sherwood Forest. “The script had the
Sheriff of Nottingham as a CSI-style forensics
investigator, set in medieval times,” Shmuger explains.
“It was really well written, but Ridley’s interest took
him in a different direction.”
Scott
brought veteran screenwriter Brian Helgeland on to do
rewrites but wasn’t entirely happy with the results. So
now, Hollywood being Hollywood, the movie is getting a
new rewrite, this time by British playwright Paul Webb.
He has worked on several highly regarded unproduced
scripts, most notably Lincoln, which has Steven
Spielberg attached to direct, and a civil-rights drama
called Selma. Webb is supposed to turn in his new
draft later this month, which—if everything goes right,
which it usually doesn’t—could allow filming to begin as
early as late October. It is more likely the project
won’t gear up until early 2009, making it impossible to
hit its original November 2009 release date.
The
delay could help on one front. Crowe, who has looked,
shall we say, like he’s been feasting on the king’s
venison in recent films, needs to lose weight before
he’s ready to play such an athletic part. As
encouragement, the production team plans to send Joe
Abunassar, a top Las Vegas-based trainer who works with
NBA stars, to Australia to get Crowe into fighting
shape. Still, Universal is bullish on the movie, which
it sees as an elevation of the many TV and film
renditions of Robin Hood over the years. “This is an
enduring myth that people love,” Shmuger said. “It’s a
story that offers a new understanding of the origins of
a real folk hero. You get a real understanding of—this
is how Robin Hood became an outlaw and this is how those
guys became the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest. Ridley’s
vision of the movie is very visceral, very
physical—you’re really in the forest, pulling back a
giant bow.”
Sitting
in his booth in the Universal commissary, Shmuger mimed
pulling back a giant bow and almost tore a biceps
muscle.
“Those
bowmen were extraordinary athletes,” he said, after
catching his breath. “I don’t know the pressure per
square inch, but it surely took a real athlete to handle
the kind of bows they used back then. But that’s the
point—this movie is going to feel real. It makes a
legend we all know feel historically relevant.”
Of
course, it’s not a movie yet. It needs a new script, a
budget and a start date. That’s a tall order. Maybe
Crowe can relax for a few more weeks before rushing into
that killer workout regime. |
