Andrew Garfield’s new film suddenly in chaos over ‘unapproved’ Robin Hood plot

Andrew Garfield’s new historical drama The Uprising, set during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, has suddenly been revealed as a Robin Hood movie just weeks ahead of its release – or has it?

From writer and director Paul Greengrass and co-starring an impressive acting ensemble including Jamie Bell, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis, Jonny Lee Miller, Katherine Waterston, Thomasin McKenzie and Stephen Dillane, The Uprising had, until now, come across as grand but gritty potential awards bait from its previous trailer.

But in new clips shared to the film’s social media accounts on Monday, ‘Witness the rise of Robin Hood’ has been added underneath the movie’s title throughout, leaving fans flummoxed by this unexpected twist.

World of Reel is even claiming that the film’s title has now been changed to The Uprising: Rise of Robin Hood, although this isn’t currently reflected on the film’s landing page nor in any of its social accounts’ bio sections.

However, there is a short trailer still available on social media clearly branded ‘The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood’, which shows Garfield as a cloaked figure in dark green with his face covered, confronting a carriage travelling through the woods and drawing a bow and arrow as well.

‘To the rich, he was an outlaw. To the people, he was a hero. Witness the birth of a legend,’ the tagline during this clip reads, all of which heavily play into the legend and language of Robin Hood. On X it even explicitly adds in the caption: ‘Witness the rise of Robin Hood.’

The film’s website also confirms the Robin Hood origin (or inspiration) tale, with its synopsis now revealing: ‘Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice.’

But a previous description of the film shared by UK distributor Entertainment Film Distributors in July, as the first trailer was released, had grounded it purely in history and read: ‘Andrew Garfield stars as the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. As war burns across England, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice and survival.’

The Uprising comes out in just over two weeks in the US, on September 11, while UK fans have longer to wait as it won’t reach our shores until October 9. Either way, this is a massive pivot in marketing so close to release.

‘What in god’s green earth is going on with Paul Greengrass’ upcoming film, The Uprising, starring Andrew Garfield?’ asked @nightwriter22 on X, who was frustrated that ‘while the film is grounded in actual 14th-century history, its marketing relies on folklore’.

‘But honestly, who cares about the folklore? You already have a gripping true story to tell, and the Robin Hood myth has been milked dry anyway,’ they added.

‘This actually kinda bums me out because as a history nerd I thought someone was actually tackling the Peasants’ Revolt, which is a time in history that could make for some epic films we never see,’ added film critic Luis A. Mendez.

‘The Robin Hood tie in is so dumb. It’s a “lets treat the audience like their morons who could never learn about history”. Not a good sign for the production,’ complained user @softwaredug over on Reddit.

Others were also noting how close The Uprising is to the release of The Death of Robin Hood, starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, which releases in the UK on September 4 and came out in the US and Australia in June.

‘Thank God. We haven’t had a Robin Hood movie in 3 months and I’m getting a little itchy,’ quipped another user, while @jonawesome asked: ‘When will a filmmaker allow Robin Hood to just chill?’

X user Brooks Otterlake also joked: ‘I would love to see this happen with more films. Studio realises the marketing isn’t getting enough traction and announces the movie’s protagonist is actually Robin Hood.’

Many had expected double Oscar nominee Garfield to be playing Wat Tyler, who was the leader of the Peasants’ Revolt and led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to demand economic and social reforms from King Richard II after opposing the poll tax.

However, there are rumours that Jarvis is in fact playing Tyler, now that it appears that Garfield’s character, the Ploughman, is also some kind of inspiration for Robin Hood.

But it appears that once again, England and the US are two countries separated by a common language – or at least differing historical references.

When approached by Metro, The Uprising’s UK distributor Entertainment Film Distributors denied that the film was a Robin Hood movie.

‘The Uprising is a historical epic about the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, not Robin Hood,’ EFD’s statement read. ‘The UK marketing campaign does not make any reference to Robin Hood. 

‘Marketing materials posted by other countries that may appear in the UK online and on social media referencing Robin Hood are not issued or approved by us.’     

Metro has also contacted US distributor Focus Features for comment.

For those of us with some awareness of medieval English history though, Robin Hood’s legend has traditionally placed him during the reigns of King Richard the Lionheart and King John, around the 1190s.

This is therefore nearly 200 years before the events of the Peasants’ Revolt and King Richard II’s rule (here played by Woody Norman).

However, the earliest ballads featuring the character of Robin Hood didn’t appear until the 15th century, so there is an argument for conflating the two after the facts, especially given that William Langland’s 14th-century poem Piers Plowman features the first known reference to a literary tradition of Robin Hood tales.

(And take another look at that poem’s name!)

While this reveal has been characterised by some as a last-ditch panic over a potential box office flop in the US, the film was first announced by Deadline in 2022 under the title The Hood, which clearly suggests the film always featured this link in some capacity.

Benedict Cumberbatch was initially attached before it was retitled The Rage in February 2025 – with Matthew McConaughey onboard, who was just about to appear in Greengrass’s survival drama The Lost Bus- and then finally (or not) retitled The Uprising in October 2025, while shooting was underway in Germany with Spider-Man star Garfield in the lead.

Greengrass has previously directed Captain Phillips and News of the World, both starring Tom Hanks, and helmed three of the Jason Bourne movies.

The Uprising releases in US cinemas on September 11 before arriving in UK and Irish cinemas on October 4.