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A couple months ago I called bullshit on the rumor that Russell Crowe would be playing both Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Nottingham.  The film was already meant to be a revisionist take on the classic tale that swaps the polarity of the good outlaw and the evil lawman so that Robin Hood became the scoundrel and the Sheriff became the hero.  Scott made some comments that implied Crowe would be playing both characters, and I envisioned only two possible scenarios where that could work and I was a fan of neither.  Well producer Brian Grazer recently spoke with MTV and he provided some much needed clarity to the dual roles, and shows that one of my possibilities was actually pretty close.  I still don’t like it, but it apparently wasn’t bullshit.

“The two role confusion is that what Robin Hood does is he sees Nottingham in battle very early in the movie and Nottingham dies. And Robin Hood takes over the identity of Nottingham. That’s how it plays out.” Grazer also referred to the film as “an origin story” for the characters.

I’m left curious as to where the proper conflict will originate without two strong, dueling personalities to battle throughout the film culminating in a final showdown worthy of comparison to the Costner/Rickman clash of 1991.  There can’t be one without two distinct characters.  So I’m guessing a new villain will be introduced?  And how exactly can this be an origin story if one of the two main characters is killed off early on in the movie?

What do you think of this clarification?  For all my questions and criticisms I’ll still watch the damn thing.