Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ is getting a four-hour director’s cut on Apple TV+

Ridley Scott has confirmed a four-hour director’s cut of his upcoming film Napoleon will be released on Apple TV+.

The director, who previously said he had a “fantastic” cut of the historical epic which spanned four hours and 30 minutes, explained to TotalFilm that the director’s cut, which has since been reduced by 20 minutes, will be officially released.

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.”

Joaquin Phoenix plays French leader Napoleon Bonaparte in the film, which follows his rise to power and his relationship with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby). The theatrical cut of the film, which is released in cinemas on November 22, spans 157 minutes.

As reported by Empire, the extended cut is said to feature more of Joséphine’s life before she meets Napoleon. A release date for the director’s cut is yet to be announced.

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 is currently in development on 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.

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