New Zealand actor Russell Crowe will play Robin Hood in a new Hollywood epic - as well as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The controversial Oscar-winner's double has been confirmed - with Sienna Miller as Maid Marian -- though he was originally signed just as the villain, the Mirror newspaper in London reported.
But director Ridley Scott added to the confusion over the Gladiator star's two roles in Nottingham when he said: "It's a good old adjustment of characters. One becomes the other. It changes."
Insiders claim the twist may mean the kind outlaw used to be the sheriff.
But Crowe said Robin and his Merry Men will not wear tights: "We have done research and they hadn't been invented."
Nor is the film likely to be released soon. Crowe added: "We'll take our time.
"You shouldn't do Robin Hood unless you do it really f***ing well."
NZPA