After delivering some of the biggest entries in the realm of historical epics and biopics such as Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, House of Gucci, and The Last Duel, to name a few, filmmaker Ridley Scott will be introducing a new piece of work, Napoleon, a historical biopic on one of the most powerful emperors to have reigned in history – Napoleon Bonaparte.
Our curiosity is certainly piqued. So, what do we know so far about the film?
Napoleon: A glimpse into the release date, trailer, plot, and cast
It’s confirmed that the film will see a theatrical release on Nov. 22, 2023, and then stream on Apple Plus. The trailer, which gives a glimpse into the events and politics paving the way for the emperor’s rise to the zenith of power begins with chaos on the streets of in the year 1793 – which is almost eleven years prior to Napoleon’s coronation as ’s emperor.
War scenes, battlefields, and interactions between various characters that look like political machinations occupy a major portion of the trailer, which could mean that the focus will be exclusively on the action, politics, and drama of the era. Based on the trailer, we can expect the movie’s efforts to explore the origins of Napoleon’s ascension to megalomania. The engaging storyline and striking visuals make this a promising historical biopic.
However, Scott has his own reasons for choosing Napoleon as his next project, being his fascination with the authoritative, historical figure. Explaining in detail to Deadline on this subject at the onset of the production, he explained,
“Napoleon is a man I’ve always been fascinated by. He came out of nowhere to rule everything – but all the while he was waging a romantic war with his adulterous wife Josephine. He conquered the world to try to win her love, and when he couldn’t, he conquered it to destroy her, and destroyed himself in the process.”
With the confirmation of the release date, trailer, and the expected storyline comes an eagerness and increasing curiosity about the casting . Not unlike the previous movies by Scott, Napoleon too is laden with a star-studded cast.
Who will star in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon?
Aside from Ben Miles, Matthew Needham, Phil Cornwall, Tahar Rahim, Vanessa Kirby as Empress Josephine, and various others who will be starring in significant ing roles, the role of the titular character goes to none other than the immensely talented Joaquin Phoenix. Extolling the latter’s performance, Scott told Empire that Phoenix was “the most special, thoughtful actor I’ve ever worked with.” Adding to the compliment, he stated,
“Joaquin is about as far from conventional as you can get. Not deliberately, but out of intuition. That’s what makes him tick. If something bothers him, he’ll let you know. I had to respect that, because what was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better.”
Napoleon will be released in theatres on Nov. 22, 2023.
Published: Jul 10, 2023 01:09 pm