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Supergirly

The CW is Doing a Female-Centric Retelling of Robin Hood. Huzzah!

by Rebecca Pahle | 4:15 pm, December 21st, 2012


I don’t know if you know this, but archers are, in the words of Mugatu from Zoolander, so hot right now. And who’s a more iconic archer than Robin Hood? So it’s really no surprise that the CW is doing a new show, Sherwood, based on the story of Robin Hood.

But the part that’s really interesting?

The protagonist of this Robin Hood retelling is a woman.

(I mean, I guess that’s not really surprising either given it’s the CW, but just go with us here, it’s still cool.)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sherwood

is set in 1072 England and revolves around a young noblewoman who sets out to free her serf boyfriend, who has been wrongfully imprisoned by ruthless Norman occupiers. Seeing help from the vanished Robin of Locksley, she inadvertently reunites — and joins — the fabled Robin Hood and his Merry Men, inspiring new hope for the oppressed people of Nottingham.

I’m trying my best to reign in my cynicism here, as Sherwood is just similar-sounding enough to Arrow and Mockingjay, the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy (and lest we forget, the CW already has two Hunger Games-esque shows in the works), to make my inner curmudgeon grumble about financial opportunism and the lack of creativity in the film/TV industry.

But you know what? I’m telling my inner curmudgeon to take a hike on this one. It’s a young woman kicking butt and saving her boyfriend (and, perhaps, the kindgom) at the same time.

Don’t get me wrong. I fully reserve the right to grumble if I watch it and it’s bad. But not until then.

(via: The A.V. Club)

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  • Anonymous

    As cheesey as the CW can be, I’m enjoying the hell out of Arrow and Beauty and the Beast. So I say bring it on.

  • http://twitter.com/pippaalice Pippa

    Are you aware of this which was a children’s BBC program in the 80s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdWA3vA1ow4 The protagonist in Maid Marian and her merry men was Marian who was awesome and kick arse and Robin was a bit of a wet.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658295430 Calum Syers

    I used to watch that all the time. Especially the pancake day episode. Tony Robinson (Baldrick from Blackadder) was the Sheriff.

  • http://twitter.com/Staar84 Erin Carr

    Not really a retelling if she’s joining him, but close enough. Still sounds interesting. Robin Hood was always my favorite.

  • http://twitter.com/pippaalice Pippa

    It was my favourite when I was a kid. :D

  • http://twitter.com/ribbonquest Rachel Banzhaf

    Not sure about the Hunger Games inspiration, but it sounds like self insertion fanfiction to me.

  • Travis Fischer

    Sounds like our protagonist is going to track down the disillusioned hero and inspire him back into action with her spunky go-get-em attitude in order to save her loved one from the evil authority.

    Which, if I’m not mistaken, is the premise of Revolution.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003037095323 Jerilyn Nighy

    It must be noted that Danny John-Jules, aka “Cat” from Red Dwarf was on that. Myself, was partial to the ITV Robin of Sherwood, despite the mullets.

  • http://twitter.com/seriouslyyouguy you guys

    Who wrote this premise, anyway? A teenager who slept through most of every history class in high school and barely squeaked by with a D? I realize historical accuracy means nothing when it comes to “GRRRL POWER!!! YAY *insert commercials for cosmetics here* “YAAAAAAY GRRRRRRRL POWER!!!” but this is just absoludicrous.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003037095323 Jerilyn Nighy

    Robin Hood is easily a legacy title. No reason why she couldn’t be the titular hero. Though I’d rather they made the show commoner-centric. Eff the landed gentry.

  • http://twitter.com/acidragdoll Bel

    oh no, a television show about a work of fiction exercising blatent disregard for the historical touches on a story that never happened anyway, will horrors never cease

  • Anonymous

    I thought it was a little weird
    to let another archer show onto the CW, but just like a DISH coworker said to
    me, “You can never go wrong with too many archers.” I’d probably give Sherwood
    a chance, since my DISH Hopper can store up to 2,000 hours of entertainment; it
    gives me the chance to save any show I’m remotely interested in. Cheers to the
    bow and arrow—no, not that Arrow.

  • Allison Rhodes

    If CW is going to go female-centric, why not go all the way? I just read a book called Robin: Lady of Legend, where Robin Hood is a woman. I wasn’t sure if it would carry it off, but the book was fantastic! I’d love to see it turned into a show.

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