Apple Original 'Napoleon' will see theatrical release in November

Image Credit: Apple

Ridley Scott historical action epic "Napoleon" starring Joaquin Phoenix will be released in theaters worldwide on November 22 and stream globally on Apple TV+ afterward.

The film tells the story of Napoleon and his rise to emperor, told through the lens of his volatile relationship with Josephine. In addition, it will highlight Napoleon as a military leader and war visionary through its depictions of his famous battles.

Oscar-winning "Joker" star Joaquin Phoenix stars as French emperor and military leader Napoleon Bonaparte. Vanessa Kirby, known for her role in Netflix's "The Crown," stars as Josephine.

The film will be released theatrically worldwide in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Apple had signed the order for the project in early 2021, when it was still known under the name "Kitbag."

"Napoleon" joins Apple's growing slate of movies, including the Tom Hanks World War II drama, "Greyhound," crime thriller "Sharper," and Oscar-winner "CODA"

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10 Comments

Japhey

said about 1 year ago

An American playing Napoleon and a Brit playing Josephine? I wonder what the French have to say about that.

mpantone

said about 1 year ago

Japhey said:

An American playing Napoleon and a Brit playing Josephine? I wonder what the French have to say about that.

Probably not much. After all the same director casted the same actor to play a (fictitious) Roman emperor over two decades ago. And in that same film a Kiwi played a Spaniard. That film Gladiator won five Academy Awards (out of 12 nominations) including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role (2000).

Ridley Scott has a long distinguished track record at not looking at actors' passports. It's not like this is an unusual practice for this director. In fact, his first feature film The Duellists (1977) also was set in France. Scott casted many non-French actors for this movie; particularly amusing to this discussion, this film took place during the Napoleonic Wars.

This is nothing new or unusual to Ridley Scott. For centuries Shakespearean theatre has been overly represented by British acting talent despite many of the stories taking place outside of the British Isles.

The French would probably have more complaints if this production had inaccurate costumes or the locations were blatantly wrong. However Sir Ridley isn't the type who just glosses over such details.

chutzpah

said about 1 year ago

mpantone said:

The French would probably have more complaints if this production had inaccurate costumes or the locations were blatantly wrong. However Sir Ridley isn't the type who just glosses over such details.

I beg to differ. Ridley Scott does whatever the hell he wants to do if he thinks it serves the film and the story better, and is quite open about that.

AlexeyV

said about 1 year ago

Japhey said:

An American playing Napoleon and a Brit playing Josephine? I wonder what the French have to say about that.

Since when Napoleon became French?