R.Crowe In Action As Robin Hood, Piliging France

`It is better to simply have the evolution of a character called Robin Hood, who will come out of a point in the Crusades which is the end.`

Russell Crowe will no longer play both Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham in a new movie.

The 'Gladiator' star will soon begin filming Ridley Scott's latest movie - which has been retitled 'Robin Hood' from 'Nottingham' - but will see his part dramatically scaled down.

Ridley told MTV: "Russell in both roles was an idea so far back, way back when at the time I had this proposed to me, and I read it and thought, 'I don't really know what it does for it, but it's alright'

"It is better to simply have the evolution of a character called Robin Hood, who will come out of a point in the Crusades which is the end.

"The Sheriff of Nottingham is always a kind of an amusing character in most of the movies, who represents the hierarchy in the story at that point."

Instead of the Sheriff, the country of France will be Robin's nemesis. The director also denied Russell is too out-of-shape to play Robin after piling on the pounds for his last film 'Body Of Lies', insisting the actor has been hard at work preparing for the part.

He added: "All that stuff is bulls**t. He is going to be totally fit. That is not a problem at all.

"And he's been working on his bow and arrow for about four months.  He sends me tapes of him hitting targets at about 45 meters. He's pretty good."