‘The aim was to give Kevin Costner’s version a good kicking’: director John Irvin on his anti-Thatcher Robin Hood

What happened

According to The Guardian’s source item, ‘The aim was to give Kevin Costner’s version a good kicking’: director John Irvin on his anti-Thatcher Robin Hood, Rush-released in the same year as Prince of Thieves blockbuster, this gritty British movie battled winter weather and chronic illness – and it still holds up Thirty-five years ago, two films about the legend of Robin Hood – stealer from the rich, giver to the poor – met and duelled in cinemas; we all know who won, Kevin Costner’s big-budget blockbuster, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. But what about the other one? It was titled simply Robin Hood, directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Bergin in the title role alongside a pre-Pulp Fiction Uma Thurman as Maid Marian. “It was very much a stand-alone film with the aim of giving Kevin Costner’s version a good kicking if we could,” says Irvin, now 85. “The studio wanted to go immediately because they wanted to pre-empt the Costner.” Continue reading…

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-07T13:45:18+00:00.

What to watch

Open questions include whether primary sources issue follow-up statements, whether local or market impacts become clearer, and whether additional reporting changes the timeline or adds material context.

Source

Primary source: ‘The aim was to give Kevin Costner’s version a good kicking’: director John Irvin on his anti-Thatcher Robin Hood via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.