Garfield's 'The Uprising' Revealed as Robin Hood Prequel Days Before Release

Focus Features has retitled Paul Greengrass's upcoming period drama as 'The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood,' revealing that Andrew Garfield's character is the legendary outlaw. The film, set during the 1381 English Peasants' Revolt, will depict the Ploughman's transformation into Robin Hood, with co-star Cosmo Jarvis playing real-life rebel leader Wat Tyler. The late marketing pivot has drawn confusion from fans who expected a historical account of the revolt rather than a fictionalized origin story.

The film's ensemble includes Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Jonny Lee Miller, and Thomasin McKenzie alongside Garfield and Jarvis. An Esquire profile describes Garfield's Ploughman as a farmer who lost his family to the Black Death and joins the revolt after oppressive taxation. Garfield drew parallels between 14th-century working conditions and contemporary struggles, noting brutal conditions for working-class people then and now.

This marks the second Robin Hood theatrical release of the year, following Hugh Jackman's A24 production "The Death of Robin Hood," which reportedly failed to break even. The marketing shift came just weeks before the September 10 release, with the new subtitle unveiled on social media. Focus Features did not respond to press inquiries about the timing of the reveal.