Loved The Death of Robin Hood? Watch These 5 Movies Next

It seems every decade demands its own grim, live-action interpretation of the Robin Hood legend. Recent examples include Russell Crowe’s and Taron Egerton’s versions, and now writer-director Michael Sarnoski has offered the latest—and perhaps most unexpected—entry with “The Death of Robin Hood.”

The 2026 film introduces an aging, exhausted Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman), who has withdrawn to the hills and appears ready to let his life quietly come to an end. A reunion with Little John (Bill Skarsgard) changes that plan, but Robin is soon left mortally wounded and forced to seek refuge on a remote island inhabited by nuns. After recovering, he wakes to an unfamiliar world where no one recognizes his name.

The isolation gives Robin an opportunity to build a different life and offset, however slightly, the bloodshed of his past. Yet the violence he once committed cannot remain buried forever. At its core, “The Death of Robin Hood” follows a man caught between the person he was and the possibility of becoming someone else. Its reflective, hard-edged approach is sure to send viewers back to older films with similar themes. For anyone looking for movies to watch after Sarnoski’s new take, these five pre-2026 titles make especially strong companions. So, ready your bows and arrows.

For many viewers, the obvious follow-up to “The Death of Robin Hood” will be “Logan.” Like Sarnoski’s film, this 2017 Hugh Jackman vehicle presents an aging version of an iconic hero confronting mortality and the consequences of his past. The similarities are so pronounced that “Logan” almost feels like the natural first choice—and in this case, the obvious answer is a very good one.

Still, Logan’s journey is distinct enough to stand on its own. The battered former Wolverine must protect the young mutant X-23 (Dafne Keen), giving the film the momentum of a Western and a road movie rather than the European art-house influence associated with “The Death of Robin Hood.” The contrast is equally sharp in the action: Robin Hood’s violence is concentrated largely in the opening act, while “Logan” sustains its brutal, blood-soaked intensity throughout. Strong performances from Keen and Patrick Stewart further separate the two films.

Even without “The Death of Robin Hood” as a point of comparison, “Logan” remains essential viewing. It is widely regarded as one of the finest superhero films ever made and delivers a powerful, self-contained experience.

Long before “The Death of Robin Hood,” Michael Sarnoski established his voice with his 2021 feature debut, “Pig.” The film arrived as a striking surprise from a director whose previous work consisted mainly of short films and television episodes. Nicolas Cage plays an isolated truffle hunter and former chef whose beloved pig is kidnapped, prompting him to return to the city and confront both the people from his past and the life he abandoned.

That setup might suggest a loud revenge thriller, but Sarnoski takes “Pig” in a quieter, more reflective direction. Rather than focusing on retaliation, the film considers the experiences that give life meaning: friendship, shared meals and genuine human connection. Cage is superb as the withdrawn, wounded Robin Feld, delivering one of his most affecting performances. Even in silence, he conveys an enormous amount of pain.

The film’s emotional power comes from the melancholy atmosphere Sarnoski builds so patiently. “Pig” is a restrained, deeply moving debut—and a remarkable opening statement from the director behind “The Death of Robin Hood.”

Robert Eggers pushed his devotion to meticulously crafted, grim historical cinema even further with 2022’s “The Northman.” Drawing on Viking legend, the film showcases the director’s extraordinary attention to detail while telling a story that is, at heart, a classic tale of revenge. Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) watches his father and village fall to the ruthless Fjolnir (Claes Bang), then spends years preparing to settle the score. When the opportunity finally arrives, Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy) helps him pursue the vengeance he has carried for decades.

Fans of “The Death of Robin Hood” will likely appreciate “The Northman’s” R-rated intensity, sweeping European landscapes and muddy, ancient visual style. But where Sarnoski’s film allows room for quiet contemplation, Eggers delivers a far more relentless experience. The violence is brutal and frequent, while strange, almost dreamlike episodes add an entertainingly eccentric edge. Lavish costumes, superb production design and committed performances complete the film’s immersive world.

“The Northman” works as more than a companion to “The Death of Robin Hood.” It also marks the point at which Eggers expanded his ambitions and made a major, hugely entertaining leap forward as a filmmaker.

While promoting “The Death of Robin Hood,” Michael Sarnoski shared with Letterboxd a list of 10 films that influenced the production. Several choices made immediate sense, including Disney’s 1973 animated “Robin Hood,” “The Revenant” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” One selection, however, stood out as far less expected: “Phantom Thread.”

At first glance, Paul Thomas Anderson’s darkly comic drama about the volatile relationship between dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Alma (Vicky Krieps) seems worlds away from Sarnoski’s bleak reworking of the Robin Hood myth. Look closer, though, and the connection becomes easier to see.

Anderson’s ornate visual language may have helped shape the similarly refined cinematography created by Pat Scola for “The Death of Robin Hood.” More importantly, “Phantom Thread’s” shifting power dynamic between a man and a woman echoes the relationship at the center of the Robin Hood film, involving Robin and Jodie Comer’s Sister Brigid. Both movies also feel unmistakably personal—highly specific works that will not appeal to everyone, and do not need to.

That may be the most valuable idea Sarnoski drew from one of Daniel Day-Lewis’ finest films: a movie does not need universal approval when it is willing to follow its own artistic instincts.

Ingmar Bergman’s influence can be felt across generations of cinema. From unexpected mainstream comedies such as “Muppets Most Wanted” to ambitious dramas like “Synecdoche, New York,” filmmakers continue to borrow from his themes, imagery and approach to existential storytelling.

Among Bergman’s many achievements—including one of the 10 best road trip movies of all time—his defining masterpiece may be 1957’s “The Seventh Seal.” The film follows Antonius Block (Max von Sydow), a knight returning from the Crusades with profound doubts about God and existence as the Black Death devastates the surrounding countryside.

Death himself (Bengt Ekerot) pursues Block and his unlikely companions as the battle-weary soldier tries to accomplish something meaningful before his time runs out. “The Seventh Seal” confronts humanity’s darkest impulses while asking the enormous questions that haunt nearly everyone. Like “The Death of Robin Hood,” it centers on a deeply troubled man shaped by violence and painfully conscious of his own mortality.

The simplest description of “The Death of Robin Hood” might be this: a hardened Robin Hood wandering into a Bergman film. Anyone drawn to the new movie’s quiet, sorrowful and philosophical passages should make “The Seventh Seal” a priority—and explore the rest of Bergman’s work from there.