It’s being reported that Cate Blanchett will now be playing the role of Maid Marian in director Ridley Scott’s new telling of the tale of Robin Hood, formerly known as Nottingham. Originally set to play the role was Sienna Miller. And although she’s a talented actress, you can’t ask for a better replacement than Blanchett.

The movie stars Russell Crowe as the famed character, Robin of Loxley. Though in this version, the movie will tell an tale of origins, looking at the story from a historically accurate perspective of those times. The story will follow Robin, who as a child was abandoned. He finds a home with the lower class people, where he grows up with issues of trust, and where he develops his affinity for the movement of the wealthy folk’s property to more needful hands.

The surprising thing here, is that the project apparently is toting a $130 Million budget. While it’s obviously not an indie flick, that seems like a lot for a Robin Hood tale. That’s more than all of The Matrix movies, more than the first Pirates, and more than every Lord of the Rings movie — specifically, $36 Million more than Two Towers and Return of the King. The expected rating is PG-13.

Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) wrote the script for the Universal Pictures release. Producers include Ridley and his brother Tony Scott’s Scott Free Productions, as well as Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment.

[Source: Variety]