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Joaquin Phoenix has been heralded as one of the greatest and most unique actors of this generation, proving it with just about every performance he’s given throughout his career so far. He’s captivated audiences in a variety of genres, known for being very selective about each role, and especially has never failed to impress in period pieces. From the repulsive Commodus in Gladiator (2000) to acclaimed musician Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005), and now to none other than Napoleon Bonaparte in Ridley Scott’s upcoming epic film Napoleon, set to debut later this year. A trailer has officially dropped to give us a firsthand look at the origin story and climb to power of one history’s most infamous conquerors.
Napoleon was a project first announced by director Ridley Scott in 2020 as Kitbag, that later gravitated to its new and very recognizable title. David Scarpa wrote the script, who previously worked with Scott on biographical crime thriller All the Money in the World (2017). The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, who was tapped to star as French conqueror Napoleon from the get-go, reuniting him with Scott for the first time since historical epic Gladiator. Alongside him are Vanessa Kirby, who plays Napoleon’s wife Empress Josephine, and Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, a comrade and later and an adversary. The film is posed to feature six major battle sequences and was shot primarily in various locations around England and Malta. In a previous report from Deadline, Scott expressed his passion for putting this film together about such a prominent historical figure, and using Napoleon’s tumultuous relationship with his wife to outline his tremendous rise and equally tragic fall.
“Napoleon is a man I’ve always been fascinated by… came out of nowhere to rule everything — but all the while he was waging a romantic war with his adulterous wife Joséphine. 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.”
Ridley Scott Rewrote Napoleon For Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix has already proven his acting chops many times over, and has the awards to prove it. Having already collaborated with Ridley Scott on one historical epic in Gladiator, it is not surprising that Scott was willing to make changes to Napoleon for the actor to be happy with the role. He previously said:
“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…He made [Napoleon] special by constantly questioning…With Joaquin, we can rewrite the goddamn film because he’s uncomfortable. We unpicked the film to help him focus on who Bonaparte was. I had to respect that, because what was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better…I think we dug in and found the character, or as close to what he may have been. Joaquin is probably the most special, thoughtful actor I’ve ever worked with.”
Napoleon is set to premiere in theaters November 22, and then later on Apple TV+ at a currently undetermined date. The new trailer for the film can be viewed below.
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