MGM+ is getting into the Robin Hood business.
The network/streamer has ordered a 10-part series based on the English folklore to air in 2025.
The series comes from Jonathan English, exec producer of Librarians: The Next Chapter; showrunner John Glenn, who previously was showrunner of CBS’ SEAL Team; and Lionsgate Television. Todd Lieberman of Hidden Pictures also is exec producing.
English, who founded Serbia-based Balkanic Media, and Glenn, have been pitching their take on a new version of Robin Hood for the last couple of years, having previously held talks at Natpe Budapest in 2023.
The series, which will begin production in Serbia at PFI Studios in February 2025, is a modern take on the classic ale of the roguish outlaw hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, and the epic love story between him and a courageous and daring Marian.
Following the Norman invasion of England, Rob – a Saxon forester’s son – and Marian, the daughter of a Norman lord – fall in love and work together to fight for justice and freedom. As Rob rises as the leader of a band of rebel outlaws, Marian infiltrates the power at court, as both work together to thwart royal corruption and bring peace to the land.
Glenn and English are writing and will also exec produce alongside Lieberman as well as his Hidden Pictures colleagues Carly Kleinbart and Nicole Bryant.
The series will air on MGM+ in the U.S. as well as in the U.K., Italy, Germany, Spain, Latin America, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
It marks the latest remake of the Robin Hood story. In the last 30 years, there have been numerous versions including Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, which starred Russell Crowe and Otto Bathurst’s Robin Hood starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx. Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer are also lined up to star in The Death of Robin Hood, which Deadline revealed earlier this year. On the TV side, the most recent series was a BBC drama that ran for seasons through to 2009 starring Jonas Armstrong.
“We call MGM+ television for movie lovers and English and Glenn’s Robin Hood is the epitome of our brand promise,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “This is a new imagining of the classic tale of the roguish outlaw hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. It’s an exciting, smart, sweeping, romantic adventure that brings historical authenticity, psychological depth, and a heightened focus on the relationship between Rob and Marian to the beloved story.”
English and Glenn added, “Robin Hood is a global brand and a story we’ve both been obsessed with since our youth. We are truly honored to have partnered with MGM+, Lionsgate and Todd, to bring this classic story back to life.”
John Glenn is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360, and attorney Jim Gilio. Jonathan English is repped by CAA and attorney Jim Gilio. Hidden Pictures is repped by CAA and attorney Deb Linz.
