Jack Patten once dreamed of playing in the AFL until an injured ended his dreams. Now the Sydney actor is set to star in his own major television series.

Patten, who graduated from the National Institute of the Dramatic Arts in 2023, landed his first Hollywood role in Netfix show, War Machine.

With War Machine not even yet released, he has been cast in the title role in Robin Hood, to be made by MGM+.

While the 27-year-old Patten’s rise in Hollywood has been meteoric, it was a career on the football field he initially aimed for.

According to the NIDA website, Patten played first grade for his local club at Pennant Hills before joining the Sydney Swans Academy, where he spent the majority of his teenage years training to achieve his dream of making the AFL.

“That dream was cut short when Jack received a devastating knee injury in 2017, forcing him to the sidelines for good,” it said.

Robin Hood is described as a “sweeping, romantic adventure, a modern take of the classic tale that brings historical authenticity, psychological depth, and a heightened focus on the relationship between Rob and Marian”, according to Deadline.

In the latest take on the famous outlaw set after the Norman invasion of England, Rob (Patten) – a Saxon forester’s son – and Marian, the daughter of a Norman lord – fall in love and work together to fight for justice and freedom.

“We are very excited to cast Jack Patten in his first television series leading role,” MGM+ head Michael Wright said.

“We knew immediately when we saw him that he was our ideal Robin and uniquely able to bring to life this iconic character,” Wright said.

“Jack brings unique charisma and heart to this new iteration of the classic romantic adventure of a rogue outlaw who steals from the rich to care for the poor and finds his soul mate in the equally powerful Marian,” he said.

Robin Hood will shoot its 10-episode first season at PFI Studios in Serbia later this month, ahead of a scheduled premiere next year.

War Machine, a science fiction, action movie, also stars Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney and Esai Morales. It was filmed primarily in Victoria last year.