Elaborate sets are the order of the day as filming for Ridley Scott's Robin Hood begins in earnest. The Daily Mail has some new behind-the-scenes photos from the production, which is being filmed in the English countryside. The not-so-secret location is a bit removed from the real Sherwood forest because Robin's old haunts are apparently no longer leafy enough to create the right atmosphere.
The Mail's pictures show off the two principal shooting locations, a 2000-acre medieval village and a 1000-acre clearing that has been converted into a medieval fort town. The latter location is actually being used for a part of the movie that is set in France and the English king will mount a bloody assault on its central castle.
Robin (Russell Crowe) and Maid Marrion (Cate Blanchet) are now both on set, with Crowe reportedly on an intensive exercise regimen in a continuing effort to slim down for the role even as filming begins. Early reports had suggested that he might also play the Sheriff of Nottingham, but now that role is rumored to have been taken over by Matthew Macfadyen.