Andrew Garfield actually plays a young Robin Hood in The Uprising

Surprise: while he was presented as a simple rebellious peasant, Andrew Garfield will actually play Robin Hood in the new historical film by Paul Greengrass…

Just two weeks before its release in North America, Paul Greengrass’ new film starring Andrew Garfield has just revealed some unexpected information: this historical drama devoted to the English peasant revolt of 1381 is in reality presented as a origin story of… Robin Hood!

So far, The Uprising was presented as the story of the English peasants’ revolt against King Richard II in 1381. Andrew Garfield plays a simple peasant, credited under the name of Plowmanwho takes the lead in the popular uprising. Cosmo Jarvis plays Wat Tyler, the true historical leader of this rebellion. But Focus Features has suddenly changed its marketing message by revealing the slogan “The Rise of Robin Hood” and now presenting the film as the story of the birth of the famous outlaw.

The new official synopsis is unambiguous: “Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a fierce rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the backdrop of real events that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to confront the king’s might and fight for justice.“

Recently released images show Garfield as a masked outlaw, bow in hand.

This revelation is all the more surprising as the link with Robin Hood had been carefully guarded until now. The film seemed to want to tell a little-known page of English history, that of the peasants’ revolt of 1381, before finally assuming its link with one of the most famous figures of British folklore. The character of Garfield could thus go from a simple peasant to Robin Hood, while the film will mix historical events and popular legend.

We understand that the Focus Features studio changed its approach in its promotion to try to boost the buzz around a film which risked going completely unnoticed. But this good Robin does not guarantee success. The Uprising will in fact be the second film dedicated to Robin Hood to be released this year, after They called him Robin Hoodworn by Hugh Jackman and produced by A24… which was a big flop with less than $10 million in worldwide revenue…

The choice obviously sparked some reactions on social networks, with some spectators being disappointed to discover that the film would ultimately not be solely devoted to the historical revolt. Others wonder about this mixture between Wat Tyler, a historical character, and Robin Hood, a legendary figure whose stories were set in different eras depending on the adaptations. The film is nevertheless inspired by the events of 1381, which would have contributed to nourishing the legend of the famous archer.

Directed and written by Paul Greengrass, director of the saga Jason Bourne and more recently The Lost Bus, The Uprising also brings together Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane and Katherine Waterston.

The film will be released in the United States on September 10, 2026 and does not yet have a release date in France.