On Screen: “Robin Hood”
Robin Hood
Are you aware there’s yet another “Robin Hood”? It’s a 10-episode series starring youthful Jack Patten in the leading role that’s become an enduring legend, a cultural icon.
The earliest Robin Hood tales came from 15th century England via a lengthy poem “The Gest of Robin Hood.” When the oppressive Normans enclosed vast areas of the countryside as ‘royal forests,’ reserved exclusively for the elite, the Saxons’ traditional right to roam and forage for food was gone, inciting an uprising.
During the 20th century, adventurous Robin, master of the longbow, has been portrayed by Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, Russell Crowe, Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Cary Elwes, and Richard Todd, among others.
Given a contemporary vibe in this new series, Robert ‘Rob’ Locksley (Jack Patten) is a Saxon forester’s son, who falls in love with Marian (Lauren McQueen), Norman daughter of the evil Earl of Huntington (Steven Waddington).
After Rob witnesses his father’s unfair execution, he becomes leader of a band of rebel outlaws, including new twists on familiar characters like Little John (Marcus Fraser) and Friar Tuck (Angus Castle-Doughty).
Meanwhile, Marian infiltrates the court of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Connie Nielsen). Together, they collaborate to thwart royal corruption and bring peace to England while being relentlessly hunted by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Sean Bean).
Renewed for a second season to be filmed this summer in Serbia, showrunner co-creator John Glenn plans to expand beyond Sherwood and Nottingham into the treacherous courts of England, France and Rome, transforming the rebellion into a high-stakes battle for the soul of a kingdom.
Inevitably, Robin and Marian will be drawn into the orbit of kings and queens, forced to wield the instruments of Norman power — politics, gold and betrayal — to secure a future for the Saxons.
What begins as a fight for survival becomes a reckoning with power itself — as the romance deepens, the rivalries sharpen and the legend becomes a drama about love, legacy and the price of becoming history.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Robin Hood” is a swashbuckling 7, as the entire first season streams on Amazon Prime.
Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures. Her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M.
As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O’Brien, and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism.