Joaquin Phoenix is no stranger to transforming into famous historic figures, and his next biopic might just be the most amazing one yet. The Oscar-winning actor transformed into the most iconic French Emperor in the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s historical epic Napoleon.
Sony Pictures’ official logline describes Napoleon as a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, capturing his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine.
Phoenix and Scott are no strangers to filming historic epics by each other’s side. Phoenix became a household name after playing Commodus in Scott’s historical drama Gladiator and earned an Oscar nod for the best supporting actor for this performance.
Scott has been fascinated by the French emperor for a long time, but it took years to get the film about him off the ground. This project was initially announced under the working title Kitbag back in 2020 and experienced several shifts before Apple Studios agreed to finance it.
Vanessa Kirby will join Phoenix as Josephine, while the supporting cast will include Tahar Rahim, Mark Bonnar, Rupert Everett, and Youssef Kerkour. Napoleon will be released on November 22 by Sony Pictures Releasing, before streaming on Apple TV+ at a later date.
