John Stanton/WireImage.comRussell Crowe and Ridley Scott's Robin Hood remake is unwelcome in Sherwood—at least based on the way things are going.
Production on the upcoming Nottingham, directed by Scott and starring Crowe as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sienna Miller as Maid Marian, has been delayed indefinitely, according to distributor Universal Pictures.
A revisionist take on the legend told from the villain's point of view, the film was supposed to start shooting in mid-August. But producers put Nottingham on hold due to all sorts of logitical issues, ranging from the typically cruddy British weather to concerns with the script to fears over a potential actors' strike.
"Universal could have moved forward with one of these challenges but the confluence of the three caused the studio to reconsider and take the time for all conditions to be optimal," is how the studio spins it in a statement Monday.
According to Universal, the script by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris was being reworked by veteran scribe Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) and "is not yet where the studio and the filmmakers want it to be in terms of realizing the full value of the story."
Crowe was set to play a sympathetic sheriff who ends up in a love triangle with Miller's character and the notorious bandit Robin Hood. Hood and his Merry Men steal from the rich, give to the poor and generally create all kinds of anarchy.
With the production currently scotched, it's unlikely cameras would roll until next spring at the earliest.
And that means chances are Nottingham, which was originally supposed to hit theaters Nov. 6, 2009, will not unspool until at least 2010.