‘Robin Hood: Origins’ Targets ‘Peaky Blinders’ Director Otto Bathurst

One of the many, many (many) Robin Hood movies currently in development has found a director, making it the first of many, many (sigh, many) Robin Hood projects to officially get going. Lionsgate has selected Otto Bathurst, the director behind Netflix’s Peaky Blinders series, to helm Robin Hood: Origins — and with “Origins” in the title, you know what we’re getting here.

Deadline reports that Bathurst will direct Robin Hood: Origins, based on a script by Joby Harold, who penned the screenplay for Guy Ritchie’s Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur, which is said to be the first in a planned franchise starring Charlie Hunnam.

But back to Robin Hood: Origins — the film is being compared to (does this even need to be said) The Dark Knight, which means we’re getting a gritty origin story. Of course. As with the traditional story, Robin Hood returns home from fighting in the Crusades to discover that his precious Sherwood Forest has been overrun with corruption, so he collects a group of merry men to restore justice. Only this time, they will probably not be merry. Robin Hood and his Morose Men!

There are several other Robin Hood movies in the works at Disney, Warner Bros. and Sony, but if Lionsgate has their way, they’ll be first out the gate.