Is Ridley Scott playing the double bluff?
A curious absence from the "final" casting update from Universal regarding Ridley Scott's May 2010 released epic Nottingham, is the Sheriff, a character who for the most recent adaptations of the Hood mythology has usually been the main villain.
Russell Crowe, as Robin Hood. Cate Blanchett, as Maid Marian. Oscar Isaac, as King John (looks like William Hurt dropped out sometime in the last year and Scott has gone for his Body of Lies actor to play the part). Mark Strong as King John's Henchman Sir Godfrey, another actor coming across from Body of Lies. Scott Grimes as Will Scarlett, Hood's cousin Kevin Durand as Littlejohn. Alan Doyle, as Allan Adayle. Vanessa Redgrave, as John's mother, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Lea Seydoux, Princess IsabellaFilming begins in a matter of weeks. Was Scott double bluffing us about Russell Crowe not playing The Sheriff as well... or is it just a case that the alter-ego has been removed entirely from the script and The Sheriff no longer appears at all? What too of Friar Tuck (once rumored to be filled by Paul Giamatti which seemed like good casting), and after the recent events in her family, will Vanessa Redgrave be able to fulfill her obligations here?