NOTTINGHAM will be rolling out the red carpet for the "man in green" as the city stages the UK premiere of Ridley Scott's new Robin Hood film.

The action-packed movie, starring Russell Crowe as Robin and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, will be premiered simultaneously in Nottingham and at the Cannes Film Festival on May 12 – two days before it goes on general release.

Nottingham's gala event will be held at the Cineworld cinema in the Cornerhouse. The organisers are considering staging a live link-up with the Cannes event, where the film is set to open the festival.

"We've pulled off a real coup to host the UK's only gala screening so it's a very significant event for the city," said Sheriff of Nottingham Councillor Leon Unczur.

While Cannes is preparing to play host to the stars of the film, the guests at the Nottingham screening will include city dignitaries and, potentially, famous denizens such as Sir Paul Smith.

Also, hundreds of invited guests will join 100 members of the public – and Nottingham Post readers have a chance of being among them by entering our competition (see panel).

Coun Unczur, who will welcome guests to the special screening, believes the film could bring £50m to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, as a result of tourism spin-offs.

"The release of the latest Hollywood take on the Robin Hood legend is a really big deal for Nottingham, so I'm pleased we're rolling out the red carpet here to mark the occasion," he said.

"We know that when Hollywood's spotlight shines on Robin, even more people will want to come to Nottingham to see where his legendary stories unfolded."

Currently, Nottingham Castle and Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre are playing host to a joint exhibition of costumes and props from the £110m movie.

The exhibition and premiere have come about as the result of a joint campaign by the city council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Experience Nottinghamshire who pitched the suggestions to filmmakers Universal.

A month-long celebration of the famous outlaw will run in the city and county throughout May to mark the film's release on May 14.

Jennifer Spencer, chief executive at Experience Nottinghamshire, said: "Over the past few months we've seen Nottingham and Notts propelled on to the global media platform.

"This, along with securing an exclusive Robin Hood movie exhibition and gala screening, is down to the strength of the Robin Hood campaign partnership and the hard work of those involved.

"The gala screening will provide the perfect opportunity to celebrate our successes and I'd like to thank everyone for their support."