By Kate Rodger
Robin Hood is a popular bloke.
There have been dozens of TV shows and movies about him, ranging from the serious to the funny and the farcical, and starring everyone from Errol Flynn to Kevin Costner.
Now Robin Hood’s a Kiwi of sorts, and his latest adventures have just opened the prestigious Cannes film festival.
At the epicenter of the media and glitterati maelstrom of the 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival opening night gala was Kiwi slash Aussie slash Robin Hood Russell Crowe, along with his Maid Marion, fellow antipodean Cate Blanchett.
Despite the fact the French get a bit of a hiding in the new Robin Hood, they still wanted it to launch their famous festival.
For Gladiator fans this may feel like familiar territory.
When Crowe and director Ridley Scott got together a decade ago they won themselves a few Oscars, and coined a few choice phrases
So, is Robin Hood just Gladiator in tights?
When asked what it is people love about the myth of Robin Hood so much, Crowe says: “The core message at the heart lives in everybody.
“If your world was suddenly pear-shaped, you’d hope there’d be someone who cared enough to redress the balance to reach out and lend a hand.”
Crowe produced as well as starred, although Ridley Scott still made the rules.
“Before we made Gladiator he said there is one rule, no-one is gonna be lying on a couch peeling a grape.
“When we started shooting Robin Hood he said there will not be a time when we walk through a village and someone calls out ‘we love u Robin!’”
What about those early reports that the film would be shot in NZ?
“I did point out to Ridley (New Zealand) is a massive beautiful country,” says Crowe.
“I don’t wanna be the guy who shoots Robin Hood anywhere else except England. It’s an English story and deserves to be made in England.
“Whether they embrace it or not, we needed to authentically shot in England.”
Whether the English appreciate that gesture will be proven at the box office.
As the closing credits roll here on the gala premiere tonight, Robin Hood charges into cinemas globally.
He’s served his purpose well tonight... now the gruelling 10 days of premieres, photo calls, red carpets, press conferences, cocktail parties, schmoozing, and the backroom wheeling and dealing of Cannes begins.
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