It has been confirmed that the eighteen year old actress, Dakota Fanning, will star in the upcoming film The Last of Robin Hood, which is based on the true story of Errol Flynn, the flirtatious Hollywood, swashbuckler star who was known for his role in the 1938 movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood. Fanning will portray the fifteen year old mistress of Kelvin Kline’s forty-eight year old character, Errol Flynn. The movie also features Susan Sarandon, who will play the mother to Fanning’s character.
The Last of Robin Hood captures the story of Flynn’s hedonistic life, which included a lot of scandal and statutory rape charges. At the age of forty-eight, Flynn became enamored with the teenage actress Beverly Aadland. The two then began an affair, even though he was married to Patrice Wymore. Flynn expressed a desire to perform with Aadland in Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 film, Lolita. A movie that could be said to have reflected his relationship with his teenage lover. Unfortunately, both roles were given to James Mason and Sue Lyon. Flynn’s lubricious affair with Aadland ended when he died at the age of fifty.
With movies like The Runaways, and now, The Last of Robin Hood, Dakota Fanning is quickly transitioning into more adult roles and she’s definitely broadening her acting skills. We have no doubts that she will give a stunning performance, though it might be hard to stomach the activities that occur between her character and Flynn, especially given the vast age difference.
Nevertheless, the movie’s directors, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, have been known to be successful at handling sensitive topics in the past, like Quinceañera, which deals with a pregnant fifteen year old, so we have faith that they can treat this material well.
The Last of Robin Hood will begin production next month. What do you think of Dakota’s new role? Are you looking forward to seeing the film?
