The Uprising stars Andrew Garfield as a ploughman caught at the center of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt in England, but director Paul Greengrass wanted the story to look beyond the rebellion itself and show the human side of the teenage King Richard II, played by Woody Norman.
Greengrass, known for Captain Phillips and The Bourne Ultimatum, has explained how he approached the 14-year-old monarch as a confused adolescent forced to deal with an uprising threatening his kingdom.
Paul Greengrass Wanted To Show The Boy Behind The Crown
Speaking to Collider, Greengrass explained why King Richard II needed to be treated differently from the powerful historical figure audiences might expect. The young king was only 14 or 15 when the revolt began, leaving him caught between the pressures of the crown and the confusion of adolescence.
“At the heart of it is the young boy, King Richard, who was brought up to believe that he was the Messiah. And when we start our story, he’s on the cusp of manhood. You know, he’s 14, 15. He’s an adolescent with all the confusions of an adolescent boy, but with all the demands of the crown on his head,” Greengrass said.
Greengrass said Richard’s challenge was not simply dealing with the rebels but figuring out how to navigate the people attempting to influence him.
“And it really falls to him to face this epic crisis. And so all the characters around him are trying to manipulate him. And somehow he’s got to find his way through and make his own destiny and deal with this rebellion and make sense of it,” he explained.
The historical backdrop gives that character conflict even more weight. The Peasants’ Revolt was driven in large part by anger over the poll tax, which placed a disproportionate burden on poorer people. The rebellion eventually reached London, where the Tower was breached for the only time in its history as rebels targeted some of the kingdom’s most powerful figures.
Greengrass has chosen to tell the story through ordinary people rather than focusing entirely on the famous names associated with the revolt. Garfield’s Ploughman is a fictionalized character representing those who joined the uprising and paid the price for challenging the system.
The Uprising Cast and Release Date
The film stars Andrew Garfield as Ploughman, joined by Woody Norman as King Richard II, Jamie Bell as John Ball, Thomasin McKenzie as Alyce, Tom Hollander as Sir Robert Hales, and Katherine Waterston as Joan of Kent.
The Uprising was released in the United States on September 10/11, 2026, depending on the release format, and will release in India on September 18, 2026, distributed by PVR INOX Pictures. The film will arrive in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2026.
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