Hugh Jackman and director Michael Sarnoski discuss the demise of the legendary Robin Hood.

      In *The Death of Robin Hood*, there’s a poignant moment where Hugh Jackman takes a genuine, weary breath.

      The actor and his on-screen adversary were rolling in real mud, performing brutal, chaotic hand-to-hand combat. Ultimately, Jackman’s Robin Hood gains the advantage. However, the actors, much like their characters, were exhausted.

      “I get to climb onto him and deliver the final blow. As I was climbing on him, I was so tired that I just laid on him to catch my breath,” Jackman remembers.

      “And I thought, ‘We should include that.’ When you’re fighting someone to the death, there’s an odd intimacy because you’re so close to each other. It didn’t feel odd to be on top of someone … Think about wrestling matches; you’re all over each other—so lying there and breathing was just because neither of us could move.”

      This unguarded moment reflects the realism of Michael Sarnoski’s *The Death of Robin Hood*, which forgoes polished heroics for a gritty exploration of one of history’s most iconic figures.

      The film poses the question: What if Robin Hood isn’t the hero depicted in traditional tales?

      Our summer cover features Hugh Jackman in *The Death of Robin Hood*, directed by Michael Sarnoski. Photo by Aidan Monaghan / A24. Cover design by Ryan Ward.

      Jackman became famous for playing the fierce mutant Wolverine, who, like Jackman’s Robin Hood, isn’t afraid to engage in brutal battles. In 2017’s *Logan*, Jackman portrayed an older, more rugged version of the superhero. For *The Death of Robin Hood*, he has aged even more, completely de-emphasizing his glamour to portray an English outlaw whose best days appear to be long gone. He embodies both the human and the monstrous.

      “Robin Hood was a medieval bandit, so he killed a lot of people and stole. It’s easy to envision a version of him as a pretty nasty guy,” Sarnoski notes. “This slight shift opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.”

      Set in 1247 A.D. against the harsh backdrop of the Celtic fringe, the film depicts Hood as an aging hermit, enduring the elements while hoping for a worthy challenger to end his suffering.

      The film's idea originated during Sarnoski’s youth when the headmaster at his school shared an old book from the 1930s detailing the legendary exploits of the archer known for robbing the rich to aid the poor.

      Writer-director Michael Sarnoski and Hugh Jackman on the set of *The Death of Robin Hood*. Photo by Aidan Monaghan / A24.

      “Robin has always been significant to me,” Sarnoski explains. “There’s an old legend regarding Robin Hood’s death involving an evil prioress who kills the noble Robin, which I found really intriguing.

      “He’s this immortal folk character, but upon reading the last chapter, I realized there’s a quiet, human death that many overlook. It struck me as a child that ‘Oh, my hero died quietly in a bedroom.’”

      At 31, Sarnoski grew up in Wisconsin before attending Yale. He gained recognition as a filmmaker with his 2021 indie drama *Pig*, featuring Nicolas Cage as a hermit searching for his beloved pig. The success of that film paved the way for his upcoming project, *A Quiet Place: Day One*.

      Yet, his childhood hero still inspired him, leading Sarnoski to begin crafting his unconventional take on the character as a screenwriting exercise.

      “I approached writing Robin with the thought, ‘Who needs another Robin Hood movie?’ But there’s a version within me I felt compelled to express and see how it turned out,” he reflects. “After writing it, I read it and thought, ‘Oh, wow. I really want to make this.’”

      Hugh Jackman in *The Death of Robin Hood*. A24.

      “It started like many other scripts I've written: as an exercise I couldn’t shake, which quickly became an obsession.”

      This obsession is shared by many: Robin Hood has been portrayed numerous times since Errol Flynn starred in 1938’s *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (inspiring characters like Batman's sidekick). Portrayals include those by Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Cary Elwes, Taron Egerton, a cartoon fox, and Russell Crowe’s version in a 2010 Ridley Scott movie.

      To realize his vision for *The Death of Robin Hood*, Sarnoski researched thoroughly, uncovering one of the earliest written references to the folk hero.

      “There’s an old excerpt from *The Scotichronicon,* a chronicle of Scottish history featuring one of the first mentions of Robin Hood,” the director shares. “It seems to come from the perspective of those in power, describing Robin as a murderous bandit adored by the