The MGM+ adventure series Robin Hood is bringing one of the most well-known fantasy heroes back to the screen. But what makes this show different from the many other interpretations of the character? And how does such a classic story fit into the modern TV landscape?

Ahead of the series premiere, TVBrittanyF.com spoke to creators John Glenn (SEAL Team) and Jonathan English (Minotaur) about why they wanted to revive Robin Hood. They spoke about creating a new style for the series, both in terms of plot and visuals. Plus, learn how they found the perfect Robin Hood and Marian to carry the series.

Brittany Frederick: John, audiences know you best from being the showrunner and executive producer of the CBS hit SEAL Team. This series is very opposite to that, so what drew you to it?

John Glenn: I think if I stay in a particular genre for more than one or two projects, I get bored. I sort of feel like I already know too much about it. And as a writer, that can be a detriment. But with this project, it was something that Jonathan and I were talking about. He was pitching this idea of a really grounded, kind of human, personal take on Robin Hood. And for me, I’ve always loved the story, but what I love most about the story [are] the themes. They’re sort of timeless—oppression and tyranny, and the elite stamping their boot on the throats of the underclass. That really drew me to it. And there might be some parallels there too.

Jonathan, the other part of shaping the series is creating the world of Robin Hood. What was your approach? Because to John’s point, there are classic fantasy elements, but you don’t want to just repeat all of the same things.

Jonathan English: We wanted it to feel very real and grounded, but also a beautiful world. We were talking about movies like Pride and Prejudice. We wanted the world to be a world that you wanted to go into—not that it would be like a fairy tale and unreal, but it would be appealing and attractive. It wouldn’t be a medieval world just full of mud and wet and dirt and that stuff. So it was a balance between making it feel real and impressive and exciting, but also relatable.

It was certainly a very lavish world to create. We had the opportunity to create a lot of big sets. Nottingham town and [the] castle, and the interiors of Westminster Palace and things. It was exciting.

There is the absolute perfect bit of casting with Sean Bean playing the Sheriff of Nottingham. Viewers know from Snowpiercer and Game of Thrones how he can build these larger than life characters. What was it like having him play that role?

Glenn: Sean’s incredible. He’s incredible. And I think what drew Sean to the role is that our version of the Sheriff is a much more nuanced version than you normally see. He’s a loving father. He’s dedicated to the law. And he’s not just manically obsessed with Robin Hood. We’re telling that origin story of that too—what brought him to that place.

But Sean is just such a world class actor. Not only [a] great, great guy, but it’s pretty amazing to watch him work on set. You get a little bit of a lesson on acting every time you’re watching, because he’s so good.

Yet you had to find two leads who could hold their own with him and be people the audience wants to root for. What was it about Jack Patten and Lauren McQueen that made them your Robin Hood and Marian?

English: A lot of people, of course, auditioned for the role [of Robin Hood]. There were a lot of very talented casting directors involved in the process. But as soon as we saw Jack, it was like that’s him, that’s the guy, immediately. Just something about him. He’s an amazing actor, he’s an amazing athlete. He just had a great energy.

Glenn: A real masculine energy, too. An organic kind of masculine energy.

English: A great soul. Lauren, who plays Marian, it was exactly the same. Great soul. And they had a very connective thing between them, as they’re sort of similar types of people. They connected immediately. So there was real chemistry between them. We didn’t have to force it in their performances or in the writing. They just had it. They have an amazing chemistry between them, and you really feel that on screen.

They held their own. As actors, they’re phenomenal. Yes, they’re newer actors, but they’re phenomenal artists, and they really hold their own against Connie Nielsen, Sean Bean and a lot of the other really accomplished actors that we have in the show.

Robin Hood airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on MGM+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of MGM+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.