What to know about 'Napoleon,' Ridley Scott's epic starring Joaquin Phoenix as French commander
A detailed look at Ridley Scott's upcoming "Napoleon" was unveiled last week when a trailer was released for the historical war epic about the infamous French military commander.
Set to premier this fall in theaters, the film financed and produced by Apple Studios will see Scott reunited with Joaquin Phoenix, who had a starring role in the acclaimed director's Oscar-winning "Gladiator" (2000.) The script comes from David Scarpa, who wrote "All The Money in the World" (2017,) which Scott also directed.
Phoenix ("Joker," "Beau is Afraid") of course will star as Napoleon Bonaparte, the military leader who in the early 1800s rose to become France's emperor after waging a series of brutal, bloody wars.
Scored to a haunting cover of Radiohead's "The National Anthem," the trailer showcases sweeping battle scenes, as well as Bonaparte's volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby ("The Crown.")
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"I'm the first to admit when I make mistakes," Phoenix as Bonaparte sneers in a suspiciously American-sounding accent. "I simply never do."
See the trailer for 'Napoleon'
Who stars in 'Napoleon?'
Other than Phoenix and Kirby, the film's supporting cast includes Tahar Rahim as a French politician; Ben Miles as a French diplomat and Bonaparte's advisor; and Ludivine Sagnier as a socialite.
What will the movie be about?
The trailer begins with an apparent depiction of the the beheading of Marie Antoinette, whose death signaled the end of the French monarchy.
With the French revolution underway, chaos is rife in the streets of France near the turn of the 19th century amid a power vacuum left by Antoinette's execution. That's where Bonaparte comes in, who is given the responsibility of quelling the rebellions.
Bonaparte oversees cannons being fired upon protesting civilians, and soon his renown begins to rise through further successful military campaign in Egypt and elsewhere. His triumphs pave the way for him — and his beloved Josephine — to eventually seize control of France.
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But with an ego far disproportionate to Bonaparte's reportedly short stature, the bloodshed doesn't end when he's merely crowned emperor, and further conquests follow.
What do I need to know about the infamous Bonaparte?
Born in 1769, Bonaparte rose through the military ranks by leading successful military campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Bonaparte would go on to seize political power for himself in a 1799 coup d’état before crowning himself emperor in 1804, which the trailer also appears to depict. After years of expanding his empire, Bonaparte endured a brief exile to the island of Elba, before returning to power in 1815 — only to experience another crushing defeat at the famous Battle of Waterloo.
Bonaparte died in 1821 at the age of 51 on the remote island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic, where the British had exiled him.
Why did Ridley Scott want to make this movie?
In an interview with Deadline in 2021, Scott said he had long wanted to make a film about Napoleon Bonaparte — a feat that another revered director, Stanley Kubrick, had decades ago wanted to do but could not. Kubrick's project, which he developed in 1969, lost financial backing after the 1970 film "Waterloo" about the military commander's defeat was a box-office flop.
“Napoleon is a man I’ve always been fascinated by,” Scott told Deadline. “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.”
Deadline also reported that the film's original title was to be "Kitbag." The former title referenced an obscure expression — “there is a general’s staff hidden in every soldier’s kitbag” — meaning that every soldier has the potential for greatness.
Scott of course is no stranger to directing historical epics.
The 85-year-old director's filmography spanning nearly five decades includes movies about the crusades ("Kingdom of Heaven" in 2005;) the biblical account of the Hebrew flight from Egypt ("Exodus: Gods and Kings" in 2014;) and medieval duels (2021's "The Last Duel.")
Most notably, Scott's 2000 film "Gladiator" won the Academy Award for best picture. The film stars Russell Crowe opposite a villainous Phoenix as a fallen Roman general who must battle his way through gladiatorial arenas to regain his honor.
When can I see 'Napoleon?'
Sony Pictures will release the the Apple production in theaters on Nov. 22, which is Thanksgiving weekend.
The film will be available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+ at a later date.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta.
