LOL, at Ridley Scott and “Napoleon” to borrow the boastful phrase, “I’m built different”—did Andrew Tate come up with that one?—and tweak it to, “I’m not built like other men,” in his new trailer for this war epic. It’s slightly comical to hear modern verbiage in period movies and period movie trailers, but hey, it’s not the first time.
Perhaps more importantly, it’s maybe slightly weird to see Joaquin Phoenix, who mainly does art films these days by auteurs, star in a big-budget epic like “Napoleon,” right? But let’s not forget Phoenix already had a great relationship with Ridley Scott after working on “Gladiator,” and that’s probably one of the main reasons Phoenix said yes.
Directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by David Scarpa, “Napoleon” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader. The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to the emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby.
“Napoleon” also stars Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles, Ludivine Sagnier, Matthew Needham, and Mark Bonnar.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Napoleon” is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.
Stanley Kubrick, for years, tried to mount a “Napoleon” film and failed. Then, more recently, Steven Spielberg passed on a series version to Cary Fukunaga, but one has to wonder if this version will kill that one as what’s the need for a second project so soon, right? Scott also says Apple TV+ will release his four-hour version of the film, but nothing has been made official yet.
An Apple Studios production in conjunction with Scott Free Productions, “Napoleon” is produced by Scott, Kevin Walsh, Mark Huffam, and Phoenix, with Michael Pruss and Aidan Elliott serving as executive producers. “Napoleon” will be in theaters November 22, 2023, and in 70MM and IMAX formats via Sony Pictures, according to the new trailer, which you can watch below.
