Russell Crowe reflected on Robin Hood, urging fans on social media to watch the director’s cut of the film and reminding them that it was made with a sequel in mind.
Directed by Ridley Scott, “Robin Hood” marks Crowe’s fifth collaboration with the filmmaker, following “Gladiator,” “The Good Year,” “American Gangster,” and “Body of Lies.” The film, which reunited Crowe and Scott for another historic blockbuster, arrived with hopes of being a blockbuster hit, but failed to hit the mark, both critically and at the box office.
Crowe says he cut out important emotional elements that were lost in the film.
Crowe’s point centered on the differences between the theatrical version and the director’s cut available on home entertainment.
“The Director’s Cut is the movie we all thought we would release. But 17 minutes were cut for theatrical release. Every minute on screen is a long time. Imagine taking your favorite movie and having 17 minutes of the most emotional connective tissue removed…Watch the Director’s Cut.”
He didn’t present it as a minor adjustment either. In Crowe’s view, these lost minutes contained the kind of connective tissue that helped the larger story flow and made the character beats hit as expected.
The director’s cut is the movie we all thought would be released. However, 17 minutes were cut from the theatrical release. One minute on screen is a long time. Imagine 17 minutes of your favorite movie stripped of its most emotional connective tissue…Watch the Director’s Cut
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) February 15, 2026
A three-part plan, and another take on the legend
Another fan noted that Robin Hood felt more like an origin story than a straight retelling, and Crowe acknowledged that was the intention all along. After all, the film ends with the title card: “And the Legend Begins.”
“That was the idea. We decided to tell it in three parts. When I started digging into RH, I found the story and its roots in the Green Man myth to be very interesting. Robin’s story has been going on for hundreds of years, so how? My idea was to show that RH is not just one man, but an inherited title.”
That was the idea. I will tell you about it in three parts. When I started researching more about RH, I found the story and its roots in the Green Man mythology to be very interesting. Robin’s story has been going on for hundreds of years, so why?
My idea was to show that RH is not just one man, but a title that has been passed down.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) February 16, 2026
Huge budget and unrealized sequel
Robin Hood, which also starred Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, and Oscar Isaac, was positioned as the beginning of a potential series, but plans for a sequel fell through due to the film’s overall performance. According to Box Office Mojo, the film cost approximately $200 million to make and grossed approximately $321 million worldwide.
So while the film wasn’t a box office disaster, it also didn’t hit the numbers you’d normally expect from a multi-film release, especially for something this expensive to make.
Crowe’s comments essentially pose a simple challenge to fans. If you’ve only seen the theatrical version, you may not have seen the version Crowe believes the team intends to put before audiences.
