Will there be director’s cut justice for Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon”? Released in November via Apple Films and Sony Pictures, “Napoleon” cost a ton (estimates are as wide as $120 million to $200 million) and only made $220 million at the global box office. Moreover, Rotten Tomatoes and Audience scores were all rotten, which didn’t help. Scott seemed disappointed early on and talked about potentially releasing a four-hour director’s cut.
Well, today, Scott announced his director’s cut, which adds 48 minutes of new footage would be immediately available exclusively on Apple TV+. Shortly thereafter, a new trailer featuring this new footage was released online. The director’s cut is now nearly three and a half hours and is one of Scott’s longest movies.
As you probably already know, “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. Co-starring Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Rupert Everett, Ben Miles, and Ludivine Sagnier, 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.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by David Scarpa, “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” 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. The film captures Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition, and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary. An Apple Studios production in conjunction with Scott Free Productions, “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” is produced by Scott, Kevin Walsh, Mark Huffam, and Phoenix, with Michael Pruss and Aidan Elliott serving as executive producers.
“Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” is available now on Apple TV+. Watch the new trailer below.
Napoleon: The Director's Cut begins streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ later today, with a 3.5-hour runtime making it the longest movie in Ridley Scott's filmography to date.
— Sigmund Judge (@sigjudge) August 29, 2024
As you can tell, he’s predictably over the moon…
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