NEW YORK – Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, The Death Of Robin Hood is a dark revisionist drama depicting the fictional outlaw from English folklore as you have never seen him before.

Instead of the valiant hero who robs the rich to give to the poor, he is mean and murderous – a withered old man hiding from the survivors of his crimes and their relatives, who continue to hunt him down, seeking vengeance.

The movie, which is directed by American film-maker Michael Sarnoski (Pig, 2021; A Quiet Place: Day One, 2024) and opens in Singapore cinemas on July 9, is set in 13th-century England and sees Robin suffering a devastating injury after attacking some villagers with his old friend Little John (Bill Skarsgard).

As he is nursed back to health by a mysterious nun named Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer), he gets a chance at redemption.

“It is a complete deconstruction of the myth,” says Jackman, 57, at the film’s premiere in New York in June.

It also raises questions about myths and legends more broadly, explains the Australian actor, who played Wolverine in the X-Men superhero franchise (2000 to present) as well as the 2018 and 2024 Deadpool films.

“What are these stories that we’ve grown up with? Why are they so important? Why do we need them to be black and white, and what is the power of story in and of itself?” asks the star, who received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the musical drama Les Miserables (2012).

Hollywood has made more than a dozen Robin Hood movies to date, and the character has been played by actors such as the late Sean Connery, as well as Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe.

But this is the first film to portray Robin as an outright antihero.

“It is a cautionary tale about the power of story and mythology – about the stories we believe, the ones we invest in, and the stories we tell about ourselves,” Jackman says.