You can smell these photos. Seriously. Look at them. They smell like wet wool, woodsmoke, and the copper tang of old blood.
When A24 announced The Death of Robin Hood, I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly pulled a muscle. Do we need it? Does the world really need another gritty reboot of a guy in tights? Probably not. But then I saw the first official stills, with Hugh Jackman sitting on that godforsaken rock looking less like a hero and more like a jagged wound that refuses to heal, and—dammit. I’m in. I’m fully, reluctantly in.
This isn’t the swashbuckling Errol Flynn. It’s not even the muddy Russell Crowe. The visuals coming out of The Death of Robin Hood production suggest something ancient. Something that feels closer to The Witch or Valhalla Rising than a blockbuster action movie.
Let’s talk about that first image. Jackman. The beard is gray, matted. The scars on his face aren’t cool battle trophies; they look painful. He’s wearing layers of heavy, ragged fur that look like they weigh fifty pounds wet. He’s staring at… nothing. The past, maybe? Or just the bleak realization that he survived when everyone else died. It’s a look I’ve seen on festival screens in Berlin and Cannes, usually in films where nobody smiles for two hours.
And then there’s the shot by the fire. You see Bill Skarsgård there—barely recognizable under that wild hair—sitting across from him. Two ghosts haunting a landscape that looks absolutely unforgiving. It’s quiet. You can feel the cold radiating off the screen.
Sarnoski, the guy who made us cry over a truffle pig, shot this on 35mm. Thank god. You can see the grain. Digital cameras are too clean for this kind of misery. You need the chemical imperfection of film to capture dirt this deep.
Why The Death of Robin Hood Is Betting on Horror
Here is the confession: I am terrified this will be too bleak. There is a fine line between “elevated genre” and just watching people suffer in the mud for 120 minutes. But Sarnoski has a gift for finding humanity in the wreckage. In Pig, the grief was the engine, not the obstacle. In A Quiet Place: Day One, he found intimacy in the apocalypse.
If he brings that same touch here—if The Death of Robin Hood is actually about the death of the idea of a hero—then we are looking at a potential masterpiece.
Take the image of Jodie Comer. She’s wrapped in this striking blue fabric, standing against a gray sea. It’s the only real color in the bunch. She looks regal, almost ethereal. Is she real? Is she death personified? In the synopsis, she’s the “mysterious woman” offering salvation. But looking at the composition, she feels dangerous. Like a siren.
A Legend Stripped Bare
We usually hate these descriptors. “Dark reimagining” is marketing speak for “we turned the brightness down.” But this story is about crime, wealth inequality, and living in the woods. It should be gross. It should be desperate.
The official synopsis says the film sees the character “grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder.” Finally. We’re calling it murder. Not “fighting for justice.” Murder. That shift in perspective—viewing his arrows not as liberation but as violence—aligns perfectly with the modern deconstructionist wave we’re seeing in folk horror cinema.
Sarnoski said shooting on film gave the production a “charge.” “We’re burning film right now, this is the real deal,” he noted. That pressure creates performance. You don’t waste takes. You don’t goof around when the money is physically running through the camera gate. You get presence. And looking at Jackman’s thousand-yard stare, the pressure worked.
The Key Takeaways
This Isn’t an Action Movie The marketing focuses on “grappling with the past” and “salvation,” suggesting a psychological character study rather than a bow-and-arrow war film.
Visuals Over Dialogue The choice of 35mm and massive, empty landscapes suggests Sarnoski is telling this story through texture and atmosphere, not exposition.
Jackman’s Final Form This feels like the spiritual successor to Logan—an actor using his physical age and weariness as a special effect.
The Folk Horror Pivot A24 seems to be positioning The Death of Robin Hood adjacent to films like The Green Knight, using folklore as a vehicle for existential dread.
FAQ
Is The Death of Robin Hood a horror movie?
While not confirmed as pure horror, the tone, the director (Sarnoski), and the “dark reimagining” label suggest it will lean heavily into psychological thriller and folk‑horror elements, focusing on dread rather than jump scares.
Why does Hugh Jackman look so old in the photos?
The film catches up with Robin Hood at the end of his life. He is a “battle‑worn loner,” physically broken by decades of living in the wild. The makeup and styling are designed to reflect a life of “crime and murder,” not the sanitized hero of previous versions.
Who is Jodie Comer playing?
She is described only as a “mysterious woman” who offers Robin a chance at salvation. The visual contrast of her clean blue robes against the muddy landscape suggests she might represent something spiritual, symbolic, or perhaps from the aristocracy Robin once fought.
Will this be released in theaters or streaming?
A24 typically prioritizes theatrical releases for its prestige projects, especially those shot on 35mm. Given the scope of these images, a theatrical run is highly probable before streaming.
It’s easy to be cynical. God knows I am. But every once in a while, an image cuts through the noise and reminds you why myths last. They last because they can be broken. Are we ready to watch our childhood hero bleed out on a cold rock? I don’t know. But I know I can’t look away.
What about you? Does a “broken” Robin Hood sound like a masterpiece or just more misery porn?
Source: EW
