Andrew Garfield's Surprise Robin Hood Release Officially Misses the Target

After starring in the surprise hit mystery comedy The Sheep Detectives earlier in the year, Hugh Jackman set his sights on a much tougher task than making crime-solving sheep marketable. In The Death of Robin Hood, a dark spin on the legendary folklore, Jackman led the iconic character into a box-office battle once again after a series of missteps. This proved too big a task for even Jackman, with The Death of Robin Hood earning just $7.6 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million.

Yet another Robin Hood failure in theaters came as a big warning to the rest of the industry, including one upcoming feature in particular. Focus Features' The Uprising, directed by Paul Greengrass, was initially marketed as a dramatization of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. However, ahead of its September 10, 2026, debut, the last batch of promotional material was released, in which the story was titled The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood. Can The Uprising break the spell surrounding the character in theaters and finally hit a bullseye?

Starring in The Uprising is Andrew Garfield as "the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II." The film is set "against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood," with the likes of Jamie Bell, Cosmo Jarvis, Tom Hollander, and Thomasin McKenzie all also featuring. Ahead of the film's debut, the embargo was finally lifted on reviews for The Uprising, and it doesn't seem set to break the curse just yet. At the time of writing, the movie has earned a middling score of just 57% from 53 submissions on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, falling 11% short of the aforementioned The Death of Robin Hood.

What Did Critics Say About 'The Uprising'?

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For Collider, Meredith Loftus reviewed The Uprising and awarded it just 6/10, agreeing with the Rotten Tomatoes consensus. "Overall, The Uprising is a well-made historical drama with pertinent themes," she said, adding that, "as a Robin Hood story, it will leave much to be desired." Alternatively, ScreenRant's Brandon Zachary loved the film, calling it harrowing, heartbreaking, and a great modern epic," whilst Rachel Leishman called it "uneven" for CBR, but praised Garfield's performance.