The Death Of Robin Hood: Why Little John Looks So Familiar
by Ryan Scott · /FilmThis article contains minor spoilers for "The Death of Robin Hood."
The "Robin Hood" mythos has been explored on screen many, many times over the years. There are rather serious takes such as Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood." There are not-so-serious takes like "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." It's been done to death, some would argue. Still, we've never had something quite like director Michael Sarnoski's "The Death of Robin Hood," which sees Hugh Jackman ("Logan") lead a deconstruction of the myth.
The movie sees Robin (Jackman) grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder in his older age. He eventually finds himself gravely injured after a battle — one that he thought would be his last — alongside his old companion Little John. Instead, upon being handed over to a mysterious woman, Robin is offered a chance at salvation as he heals.
Sarnoski, who is also directing the upcoming "Death Stranding" video game movie adaptation, isn't all that interested in revisiting a ton of characters from previous "Robin Hood" stories. However, Little John is one of the very few "Merry Men" associated with the outlaw whom audiences will recognize, even though he goes by "Edward" for much of the runtime. And anyone who thought that Little John looked familiar but couldn't quite pin down why that is, there's a very good reason for it.
Little John is played by none other than Bill Skarsgård in Sarnoski's ultra-violent, meditative take on Robin Hood's mythos. Skarsgård has been a transformative actor for years now, having broken out in the mainstream just shy of a decade ago when he played Pennywise in 2017's "It." Amazingly enough, Skarsgård was just as creepy without the Pennywise makeup, which speaks volumes about his transformative abilities as an actor.
Bill Skarsgård has transformed once again in The Death of Robin Hood
Hidden under a beard, dirt, blood, and a very thick accent, his performance as Little John in "The Death of Robin Hood" is just another example of Bill Skarsgård totally disappearing into a role. That's why people might have clocked some level of familiarity without being able to totally pin it down in the moment.
Given that Stephen King's "It" is literally the biggest horror hit ever at the box office, most folks will probably recognize Skarsgård as Pennywise, especially since he recently reprised the role for HBO's "Welcome to Derry" TV series. Nevertheless, Skarsgård has a long, impressive resume, with quite a few other noteworthy roles under his belt.
Skarsgård's breakout role came in "Hemlock Grove," which was one of Netflix's first original series but left the streamer in 2022. Still, those who watched it will know Skarsgård as Roman Godfrey, with his other earlier career credits including "The Divergent Series: Allegiant" and "Atomic Blonde." What's more, after the success of "It," he starred in movies like "Assassination Nation" and the Stephen King TV series "Castle Rock."
In 2018, Skarsgård was also part of that big X-Force moment in "Deadpool 2" as Zeitgeist. The actor would later join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the voice of the villain Kro in "Eternals," although one would be forgiven for not recognizing Skarsgård in that role.
After that, the actor played a subdued, normal guy in the genuinely shocking and fun descent into horror that is "Barbarian." Some of his other notable credits from recent years include "John Wick: Chapter 4," "Boy Kills World," "The Crow," and the title role in Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu," which was yet another very transformative performance.
"The Death of Robin Hood" is now in theaters.