The Death of Robin Hood Review: Hugh Jackman's Gritty A24 Reboot Is the Most Unexpected Take on the Legend Yet

Hugh Jackman Strips the Robin Hood Legend to Its Darkest Core

If you walked into The Death of Robin Hood expecting swashbuckling adventures and merry men in Sherwood Forest, A24 has a different experience waiting for you. The film — directed by Michael Sarnoski (of Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One fame) — lands in theaters on June 19, 2026, and it's already generating serious buzz for taking an almost Unforgiven-style approach to one of cinema's most beloved legends.

Starring Hugh Jackman as a grizzled, aging Robin Hood, alongside Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett, and Noah Jupe, this isn't the Errol Flynn or Kevin Costner version you grew up with. This is a revisionist, brutally honest deconstruction of a myth — and it's polarizing critics in the most interesting way possible.

What Makes This Robin Hood Different?

Sarnoski's vision asks a provocative question: what if Robin Hood was never the dashing hero legend made him out to be? Jackman plays Robin as a tortured, battle-scarred old man reckoning with the gap between who he actually was and who stories turned him into. Think Logan energy, but transplanted to medieval England — and the comparison isn't accidental. Multiple critics have already drawn parallels between this film and Jackman's Wolverine swan song, praising how he once again brings physical and emotional weathering to an iconic role.

Supporting performances from Jodie Comer (who plays a complex figure connected to Robin's past) and Bill Skarsgård (never one to play it safe) add layers to what could have been a straightforward one-man tragedy. Murray Bartlett and Noah Jupe round out a cast that gives this A24 production the weight it deserves.

The Verdict: Ambitious, Brooding, and Unforgettable

Early reviews paint a picture of a film that's rich in atmosphere but divided audiences with its relentlessly somber tone. Screen Daily called it "rich in atmosphere but hamstrung by an excessively brooding approach," while The Hollywood Reporter positioned it as a bold revisionist take that demands patience. UPI noted that the film forces viewers to confront the uncomfortable space between fact and legend — a theme that feels especially relevant in an era where every hero gets deconstructed.

Not every millennial is going to love this. If you want fun, fast-paced Robin Hood, this isn't it. But if you're the kind of viewer who appreciated how The Batman reimagined a familiar icon or how Joker turned a comic book villain into a character study, The Death of Robin Hood might just be the most ambitious medieval film you've seen in years.

The film hits theaters on June 19, 2026, distributed by A24. Whether it becomes a cult classic or a divisive footnote, one thing is certain: Hugh Jackman proves once again that he's one of the few actors alive who can take an iconic character and turn it into something genuinely unsettling.