A new film directed by Paul Greengrass titled ‘The Uprising,’ starring Andrew Garfield, is generating significant confusion over its subject matter ahead of its US theatrical release in two weeks. Initial promotional materials presented the film as a historical drama centered on the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, a significant moment in English history that has received limited Hollywood attention.
This week, Focus Features, the film’s US distributor, announced an expanded title: “The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood.” The new promotional description stated the film was “set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood” and described Garfield’s character forming a populist resistance against royal authority. Garfield plays a character credited as “The Ploughman,” apparently referencing William Langland’s medieval poem Piers Plowman, which contains an early literary reference to Robin Hood and predates the actual revolt.
The addition triggered immediate controversy and confusion. The historical Robin Hood legends are traditionally set during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart, who died approximately two centuries before the 1381 uprising occurred. The decision appeared particularly questionable given that another Robin Hood film, “The Death of Robin Hood” from earlier this year, underperformed commercially, recovering less than half its production budget worldwide.
The confusion intensified when Entertainment Film Distributors, the UK distributor, issued a statement explicitly denying any Robin Hood connection. The distributor stated the film is exclusively a historical epic about the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt and that the UK marketing campaign contains no Robin Hood references, attributing international materials mentioning Robin Hood to unapproved promotional efforts by other distributors.
The conflicting messaging has created significant uncertainty about the film’s actual content and storyline, potentially affecting audience expectations and reception upon release.
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