Russell Crowe
Robin Hood movie executives have denied rumours the big budget blockbuster is in trouble - following a name change and reports the shoot has been marred by problems.
The film, which stars Russell Crowe and is directed by Ridley Scott, has been hit with a series of setbacks, with actress Sienna Miller quitting amid reports filming in England was delayed because of location difficulties.
Miller was replaced by Australian star Cate Blanchett and production began earlier this year (09), but the set has been plagued by whispers of a long running feud between Crowe and Scott - which was subsequently denied by movie bosses.
And Universal Pictures chairman, Marc Shmuger, insists new reports of film chiefs being called in to make peace between the pair are totally untrue.
He tells New York Post gossip column PageSix, "Ridley and Russell asked us to visit to see more than an hour of footage they've already shot, which was nothing short of spectacular. Russell and Ridley are working on their fifth film together and have one of the strongest and most collaborative working relationships.
"When it's news that a studio chairman and a film's producer (Brian Grazer) visit a production, it must be a very slow gossip day."
But Crowe has confirmed movie executives have backtracked over the film's name. It was originally titled Nottingham, but is currently known only as Untitled Robin Hood Project.
He explains, "I think it's just going to be Robin Hood. There were lots of other ways of calling it and some different ideas.
"Prior to Christmas, the studio were talking about Nottingham as a title being well-known now, having been discussed for 18 months at the highest levels of press and marketing and stuff like that and it was a good - what they called a solid gold - name.
"And the question came up: But is it better than Robin Hood? And everybody just shook their head and said: No, it's not."
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