Andrew Garfield’s New Historical Thriller ‘The Uprising,’ Just Revealed a Massive Twist Nobody Saw Coming

Andrew Garfield has spent this year quietly building one of the more eclectic slates of any actor working today, jumping from a British family fantasy to an OpenAI-focused drama without much overlap in tone between projects. That range makes it easy to lose track of just how many different films he currently has in the pipeline, each arriving with its own distinct premise and marketing approach.

One of those films, ‘The Uprising,’ had been positioned throughout its marketing as a straightforward medieval rebellion thriller, reuniting Garfield with ‘Bourne’ director Paul Greengrass for a story rooted in England’s 1381 Peasants’ Revolt. Early buzz had already compared the project to a mix of ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Jason Bourne,’ built around Garfield’s character leading a violent uprising against King Richard II’s brutal taxation and knighthood.

That framing just got a significant addition. Focus Features and Universal Pictures have officially revealed that ‘The Uprising’ is actually a Robin Hood origin story, with a new teaser ending on the tagline “Witness the Rise of Robin Hood,” confirming the historical revolt at the film’s center directly inspired the legendary outlaw’s mythology.

The newly released preview shows Garfield’s character, a farmer named Ploughman, clashing with a tax collector demanding payment from villagers already stretched thin. When Garfield’s character questions how much the collector himself earns, he’s met with a threat: “You pay your taxes or you lose your hand.” His response, sweeping the collector’s belongings off the table and declaring that he and his fellow villagers have “given” enough, sets the tone for the rebellion that follows.

That reveal reframes much of what audiences thought they knew about the film’s structure. Rather than existing as a separate historical drama loosely connected to Robin Hood folklore, ‘The Uprising’ now appears to be building directly toward its title character becoming the very outlaw at the center of one of England’s most enduring legends.

The announcement also places ‘The Uprising’ in an unusual position within 2026’s release calendar. Earlier this year, Hugh Jackman starred in ‘The Death of Robin Hood,’ a separate film following an older version of the archer haunted by his past, a movie that reportedly struggled at the box office despite the built-in name recognition of its subject.

That earlier disappointment makes Focus Features’ decision to lean into the Robin Hood connection for ‘The Uprising’ a notable gamble, especially since the film has also recently been floated under an alternate title, “The Uprising: Rise of Robin Hood,” according to World of Reel. Whether audiences respond differently to this version, backed by Greengrass’s kinetic filmmaking style and a supporting cast that includes Jamie Bell, Thomasin McKenzie, and Katherine Waterston, remains to be seen.

‘The Uprising’ is set to open in theaters September 11, arriving the same day as Warner Bros.’ ‘Practical Magic 2.’ With Garfield still expected to appear in the OpenAI drama ‘Artificial’ later this year, this reveal adds yet another distinct entry to an already unpredictable stretch of his career, one that now includes reshaping a farmer’s rebellion into the origin of one of literature’s most enduring folk heroes.

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