``Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' The three ``Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' and the strange relationship between the two Kevins

“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” had three projects going on at the same time.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a legendary figure born from a legend around the 13th century. Set in England in the late 12th century, the story depicts the exploits of a righteous thief who stands up for the persecuted people who suffer under the oppression of the nobility. Several films have been produced since before the war, such as "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (22) starring Douglas Fairbanks and " The Adventures of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves " (38) starring Errol Flynn. For Fairbanks and Flynn, the role of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is also one of their most famous roles. Even after the 2000s, " Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves " (10) was produced by the combination of director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, who also starred in " Gladiator " (2000), and "The Beginning " (18), starring Taron Egerton, which tells the story of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves birth, and Robin's heroic figure has never disappeared from the screen for the past 100 years, boasting timeless popularity.

Around 1990, there were many plans to adapt the story of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves into a movie. Three companies came forward: 20th Century Fox, Morgan Creek, and TriStar. 20th Century Fox appointed John McTiernan, who had made hits with Predator (1987) and Die Hard (1988), as director. At the same time, 20th Century Fox also produced When the Heart Rush Hour (1991), in which he played opposite Julia Roberts, and chose Patrick Bergin, who had attracted attention in Love on the Nile (1990), to play Robin. At the time, Julia was at the height of her popularity after the success of Pretty Woman (1990). The film companies also had the intention of making Bergin, who was still young and unknown, a star by releasing two popular films, When the Heart Rush Hour and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, back to back.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves(c)Photofest / Getty Images

Meanwhile, Morgan Creek was concerned that they were behind schedule with 20th Century Fox, as they had not yet decided on a leading actor, even though Warner Bros. had agreed to distribute the film worldwide. Therefore, by casting Kevin Costner in the lead role, the project was saved from failure, and producer James G. Robinson expressed his joy, saying, "We had a big name like Costner come to us." Surprisingly, Kevin had received offers to star in films from all three companies. Later, when Kevin revealed this fact, he said, "Do I look like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves?", but playing Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves had been his dream since he was a child.

When Kevin Costner was cast as Robin, the 20th Century Fox version was about to begin filming. However, John McTiernan stepped down as director (McTiernan was involved as executive producer). Instead, John Irvin, director of " Gorilla " (1986) and " Hamburger Hill " (1987), took over, which caused problems. The start of filming was delayed, but the production budget was set at $15 million, and Uma Thurman , who had attracted attention in "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Henry & June " (1990), was selected for the role of heroine Marion. This was a preemptive move against the Morgan Creek version.

One thing we must not forget here is the TriStar version. TriStar had envisioned Mel Gibson for the role of Robin, but he had just starred in Hamlet (1990) and declined the role on the grounds that he would be "consecutively cast in similar period pieces." Furthermore, when TriStar found out that 20th Century Fox and Morgan Creek were competing for the start date of filming, they abandoned the project. Considering the outcome of the competition, it seems that TriStar's decision may have been wise. At this point, the director of the Morgan Creek version had not yet been decided, but Kevin Reynolds was recommended by Kevin Costner and took over as director.

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The "two Kevins" were the lead actor and director of " Fandango " (1985), starring Kevin Costner when he was still unknown. Kevin Reynolds' name appears in the "Special Thanks" credits in " Dances with Wolves " (1990), for which Costner won the Academy Award for Best Director. The two were bound by a friendship, with Reynolds having helped Costner with directing in his directorial debut. Costner even said that the offer to direct Kevin Reynolds was a way of "repaying a favor." Reynolds, who still only had experience with low-budget films, was suddenly put in charge of the production of "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," with a budget of $48 million. This was a huge production budget, about three times that of the 20th Century Fox version.

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