Sherwood Forest is all a-quiver over news that Russell Crowe is to breathe new life into the legend of Robin Hood.

Sir Ridley Scott, 70, the film director, says he is bowing to the medieval legend to recreate the outlaw as an all-action hero.

He claims previous screen creations – such as Errol Flynn’s romantic performance in 1938 and Kevin Costner’s reprise of the role in 1991’s Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves – have failed to hit the target.

“I am trying to think of the last good one,” said Scott. “Errol Flynn? A bit cheesy? A big cheese. God bless him. Kevin Costner? In the wig, you mean? The one I thought was the best, frankly, was Mel Brooks’s Men in Tights, because Cary Elwes [who played Robin] was quite a comic.”

Crowe, however, whom Scott has just directed in Body of Lies, is likely to spare the tights and avoid the hat with a feather in favour of a tougher performance.

Scott, best known for films such as Blade Runner and Gladiator, for which Crowe won an Oscar as best actor, starts shooting Nottingham, the new film, in February.

“Think of Gladiator,” said Scott. “Everyone sniggered because they thought I was going to do a sandal and toga movie. But I knew exactly how to do it. And I know how to do Robin Hood.”

He said he would have to include some myths, especially the fight between Robin and Little John as they try to cross a river from opposite banks. “Otherwise, people will say: ‘where’s the log?’ ” he said. “I will also have to keep inthe incredible marksmanship.But we will push it towards reality.”

Scott will not be using Sherwood Forest itself for filming – it was reported earlier this year he was simply waiting for green leaves before filming there.

Instead, he has opted for woodland in the south of England. “I have found all my forests around London,” said Scott. “Whoever says there are no forests around London did not look.I have found trees which have not been pollarded for 250 years.”

He describes his Robin Hood as a social democrat rebelling once King John introduces taxation after his brother, Richard the Lionheart, has bankrupted England to fund the Crusades.

Scott said Crowe had to lose weight to get fit for the swashbuckling role.

“I saw him in State of Play. He plays a chunky journalist, out of condition, the way journalists are, and that’s the way he plays it. So it is now clean-up time.”

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