Streaming: Bad news for Ridley Scott’s Napoleon?

It was one of the most anticipated cinematic events of 2023. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, played by an invested Joaquin Phoenix, caused a lot of ink a few months ago. This reinterpretation of history and the life of the French emperor raised some eyebrows and received mixed reviews from critics and viewers.

That didn’t stop its director from continuing to work on a 4-hour-long version – compared to the 2h38 of the theatrical release – for the Apple TV+ streaming platform. A version he described as “fabulous” in the interview.

In this Director’s CutThe story was to focus more on the fate of Josephine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby), but also featured historical characters that were cut from previous edits. Of note is Madame Tallien (played by Ludivine Sagnier), whose name appears in the credits of the film version, but whom we do not see in the film.

If this long version was the initial deal with Apple, the studio seems to be backing off According to this journalist. According to his information, the platform does not have one “This version is not planned to be released soon” And it’s not even that “Not planned”. Ridley Scott has not yet responded to this information…

Long version, not a good idea?

this Director’s Cut Some of Napoleon could have been reconciled with Ridley Scott’s film by giving more depth to the characters and story. A vision that the screenwriter of the film, David Scarpa, does not share. in the given interview IndiewireThis seems to go against the advice of his principal:

“I saw what was in the long version. But it works best — like most movies — when it’s concise. It is impossible to tell the whole story, no matter how long the film is. You can do 5 seasons on Napoleon and still not say everything. You have to make a choice. And I think this short version works well. “

Napoleon online was launched in early March on Apple TV+ in several countries around the world, except for France. If we don’t know the platform’s viewing figures, the comments shared by the American journalist may indicate that subscribers were not in a hurry to use it…