Nottingham is now Robin Hood

Director Ridley Scott spoke to MTV and revealed that Nottingham will no longer be called Nottingham, and he also spoke about Russell Crowe’s preparation for the role.

“Nottingham” has now officially been renamed to reflect its lead character. “Oh yes, I think we are just going to call it ‘Robin Hood’,” Scott revealed.

In an attempt to clarify all the confusion from a few months ago about Russell Crowe playing multiple roles, Scott was eager to say that he had changed his mind, and that Crowe will simply portray the famed archer who rises from an unlikely background. “Robin Hood is in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion,” he said of how we’ll find the character early in the film “He is a bowman in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion.”

“[Crowe as both Robin and the Sheriff of Nottingham] was an idea so far back, way back when at the time I had this proposed to me, and I read it and thought, ‘I don’t really know what it does for it, but it’s alright’,” Scott recalled of the now-abandoned idea. “It is better to simply have the evolution of a character called Robin Hood, who will come out of a point in the Crusades which is the end.”

While some have questioned whether Russell Crowe can ditch his “Body of Lies” gut and lose enough weight to play Robin Hood, Ridley says it’s not a problem. “Oh that is silly; all that stuff is bullsh-t,” Scott insisted. “He is going to be totally fit. That is not a problem at all.”

“And he’s been working on his bow and arrow for about 4 months,” Scott revealed. “He sends me tapes of him hitting targets at about 45 meters. He’s pretty good!”

Filming for Robin Hood will take place in around 2 months. The cast so far includes Crowe, Mark Strong and Cate Blanchett.