Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe in Nottingham

Ridley Scott’s Nottingham has got a new Maid Marian.

Cate Blanchett photo

Latest reports say that Cate Blanchett has been cast as Maid Marian, in the movie that stars Russell Crowe in the lead.

We had reported in June 2008, that the movie Nottingham, written by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, would be a different take on the original. The movie was to be told from the point of view of the Sherrif of Nottingham. Sienna Miller had been signed up to play the role of Maid Marian. There were rumors that Christian Bale may play the role of Robin hood.

All of that has been overturned, unfortunately. The movie will no longer be called Nottingham, though a new title has yet to be announced.

Russell Crowe will play Robin Hood (he really will have to lose weight now), and Cate Blanchett will replace Sienna Miller. All in all, the movie will be a straightforward textbook retelling of the story.

Robin of Loxley abandoned as a child finds a home with the people of Nottingham. Deeply afraid of falling in love, he is undone when he meets the strong and beautiful Maid Marian.

The new script has been written by Brian Helgeland. Scott Ridley, Russell Crowe, and Brian Helgeland have worked together earlier in the 2000 Gladiatior. Brian Helgeland was also the co-writer of the Russell Crowe-starrer LA Confidential.

Nottingham will go into production in April 2009 with a budget of $130 million. The movie, which was supposed to be released in 2009, will now be released in 2010, hopefully. Unless they decide to make another change where Kate Blanchett (Maid Marian) would be an evil witch, and Russell Crowe would be the sherrif of Nottingham who ropes in Robin Hood (his lost twin) to fry Maid Marian.

This is not the first time Robin Hood has caught the fancy of film makers. The first Robin Hood movie The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) was made with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, in the lead roles of Robin hood and Maid Marian.

The more popular Robin hood is the mushy Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. that came in 1991.

In 1993, a take-off on Robin Hood, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, was released.