A new director’s cut of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon has been released – check out the trailer for the extended version of the film below.
The new version features 48 minutes of new, never-before-seen footage and has been released globally today (August 29) on Apple TV+. The original version of the film was released in cinemas on November 22, 2023.
A synopsis on the film and the new director’s cut says: “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader. The film is a fresh and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby.
“The director’s cut delves deeper into Josephine’s origin story and features more extravagant costumes, new larger-than-life sets, and the previously unreleased Battle of Marengo scene. The audience is also given more details about Napoleon’s demise, from his attempted assassination to his failed invasion of Russia.”
Check out the trailer here:
Director Scott, who previously said he had a “fantastic” cut of the historical epic which spanned four hours and 30 minutes, explained to TotalFilm more about the extended version of the film as he was working on it last year.
Asked about the director’s cut, Scott said: “I’m working on it. It was four [hours] 10 [minutes] this morning. And so what happens is, we’ll screen [the theatrical cut] first with Sony, and then it has its run, and then the perfect thing is that [the director’s cut] goes to streaming, and we have four hours 10 minutes.”
Scott has released a number of director’s cuts in the past, including extended versions of his classic films Blade Runner and Alien. He’s also released new, improved cuts of films which faced a mixed reception on release, like 2005’s Kingdom Of Heaven.
The director’s next film is the sequel to Gladiator, starring Paul Mescal as Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus from the original film.
Recently, Scott explained that he cast Mescal after watching Normal People.
“I was thinking, ‘Who the hell is this Paul Mescal?’ and then I watched the whole series,” Scott said. “And then, suddenly, Gladiator 2 came up, because the script was working pretty well. And I kept thinking about Paul. And that was it.”
Gladiator 2 is set to be released in cinemas on November 22, 2024.