‘Napoleon’: all about the movie that reunites Joaquin Phoenix and Ridley Scott after ‘Gladiator’

‘Napoleon’ promises to be one of the great movies of 2023, and we are not surprised. Nobody has any doubts at this point that Ridley Scott has made several iconic films in recent decades, with titles such as ‘Alien’ (1979), ‘Blade Runner’ (1982) or ‘Thelma and Louise’ (1991) that can be counted among the Best Ridley Scott movies. His next project (along with ‘Gladiator 2’) will be a return to the historical epic with Napoleon Bonaparte at its center and may be one of his most ambitious films in years.

The film until January 2022 had been called ‘Kitbag’. However, on that date it underwent a change of title, becoming ‘Napoleon’. The previous name referred to an English proverb: “There is a general’s staff hidden in every soldier’s kitbag“(“There is a general’s baton hidden in every soldier’s backpack”).

The story will bring us closer to the life of the famous general and later French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. It is scheduled to be distributed by Apple Studios on its platform of streaming, Apple TV +, although the passage through theaters is not ruled out so that it is eligible for the next Oscar Awards. It is written by David Scarpa, who previously worked with Scott on ‘All the Money in the World’, and produced by Scott and Kevin J. Walsh (‘Manchester by the Sea’, ‘Death on the Nile’).

As the protagonist, Scott has had an old acquaintance, Joaquin Phoenix. He directed the Oscar winner for ‘Joker’ more than two decades ago in ‘Gladiator’, where he already served as Emperor with his cruel character, Commodus. He will now repeat the charge. From empire to empire and I shoot because he touches me.

‘Napoleon’: release date

For now no confirmed date for Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’although there are rumors that we will see it at the Cannes Film Festival next May.

‘Napoleon’: synopsis

The film will follow Napoleon’s rise to power as well as the vicissitudes of his relationship with his wife, Empress Josephine.. Scott acknowledged in interviews that “Napoleon is a man who has always fascinated me. He came out of nowhere to rule everything, but meanwhile he was waging a romantic war with his adulterous wife. He conquered the world to try to win her love, and when he couldn’t , conquered it to destroy it, and destroyed himself in the process.”

Although not many specific details of the film’s plot are known, Napoleon’s life is well documented and any point could make for an interesting biopic. He was born in Corsica, an island off the coast of France, into a family of minor Italian noble descent. He joined the forces of the French Revolution as a low-ranking officer and participated in the siege of Toulon in 1793. There he became known for some strategic decisions that led to the victory of the revolutionaries. Napoleon fought several wars for France in Italy, Austria, and Egypt over the next decade, becoming a respected commander.. In 1799, he launched a coup against the government and established himself as dictator..

Thereafter he was at almost constant war with the rest of Europe, winning one of the greatest series of military victories in history. Ultimately, he was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 and went into exile on the island of Elba in 1814. Before long, he escaped, returned to France, once more seized the country, and finally He was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He went into exile in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in Santa Elena, one of the most remote islands in the world, where he died in 1821.

The relationship between Josefina and Napoleón will also be seen in the film. Despite the love that the emperor professed for him, the marriage deteriorated due to the fact that they had no children. The couple divorced in 1810 and Napoleon remarried Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria, with whom he had his desired heir, Napoleon II.

‘Napoleon’: cast

As we have mentioned, the role of Napoleon Bonaparte will be played by Joaquin Phoenix (‘Joker’, ‘Her’, ‘Gladiator’), who since ‘Gladiator’ was released, has made a name for himself in the industry for his talent and for play dark and troubled characters. In an interview with Deadline, Scott said: “No actor could embody Napoleon like Joaquin. He created one of the most complex emperors in movie history in ‘Gladiator,’ and we’ll create another with his Napoleon“.

Such has been the actor-director bond, that Scott rewrote the film for his lead. and has thus given a very positive transformation according to the filmmaker”Joaquin is as far from conventional as you can find. (…) If something bothers him, he will let you know. “With Joaquin we rewrote the whole damn movie, just because he was uncomfortable. Kind of the same thing that happened with Napoleon…”

Napoleon’s wife, Empress Josephine, will be played by Vanessa Kirbywho played Princess Margaret in ‘The Crown’ and arms dealer Alanna Mistopolis, known as the White Widow in ‘Mission Impossible: Fallout’. Previously there was another actress for the emperor’s consort: Jodie Comer. The ‘Killing Eve’ star, who appeared in ‘The Last Duel’, also signed by Scott, agreed to play Josefina in 2021, but in January 2022 it was learned that she would have to withdraw due to scheduling problems. It was later reported that Oscar nominee Vanessa Kirby would take her place.

Franco-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim (‘A Prophet’) plays Paul Barras, a leading politician of the French Revolution who was leading the government Directory when Napoleon launched his coup; Barras was sent into exile thereafter.

In addition to Kirby and Rahim, Phoenix will be joined by Ludivine Sagnier, Ben Miles, Ian McNeice, Paul Rhys as Talleyrand, Matthew Needham as Lucien Bonaparte, the protagonist’s brother. John Hollinworth, Youssef Kerkour, Gavin Spokes or Phil Cornwell among others.

‘Napoleon’: Images

At the moment what we have are unofficial images of Joaquin Phoenix dressed as the French sovereign, which were shared on networks a year ago. Soon -we hope- we will have original photos of the production.