What is the Napoleon release date? It’s time to take a trip back into history to examine one of the most debated and studied figures of all time. We love a historical drama around here, and there’s no figure in history that warrants one quite as much as Napoleon.
Beginning as a humble soldier, Napoleon Bonaparte would climb his way through the ranks and eventually establish himself as the Emperor of the French. His story is a long one, fraught with battles for power and complicated emotional relationships that would all combine to give us the subject of Ridley Scott‘s new drama movie.
Napoleon has also been produced under another name, Kitbag, so you may be having a hard time keeping track of what’s going on with the historical retelling coming from Apple TV Plus. But we’re here to set the record straight and wave our banners high to give you everything you need to know about the Napoleon release date, cast, plot, and more. Read on!
What’s the Napoleon release date?
Napoleon will hit theaters on Wednesday November 22, 2023 in the US and Friday November 24, 2023 in the UK.
It will then appear on the Apple TV plus streaming service at a later date, so make sure you catch it on the big screen while you have a chance. As we know Ridley Scott movies tend to produce some pretty spectacular visuals, so it’ll probably be well worth the trip.
Plus, with the Gladiator 2 release date set to hit next year, Napoleon seems like the perfect way to round out 2023 and get yourself prepared for the next Scott historical tale.
Who’s in the Napoleon cast?
Napoleon will see Joaquin Phoenix reunite with Ridley Scott to play the legendary french Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.
It’s no small task to play one of the most well-known figures in history (and a pretty controversial one, at that), but Joaquin Phoenix has never not been up for the task of playing some of the most complex characters to come out in recent years. And since he played one of the best movie villains as Emperor Commodus in Gladiator, we know that he can portray a power-driven man with a reputation, too.
Joining him will be Mission Impossible‘s Vanessa Kirby as Empress Josephine, Napoleon’s mistress and eventual wife, as well as another The Crown graduate, Ben Miles as Caulaincourt.
Here’s the Napoleon cast list:
- Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte
- Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine
- Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras
- Ben Miles as Caulaincourt
- Ludivine Sagnier as Theresa Cabarrus
- Matthew Needham as Lucien Bonaparte
- Catherine Walker as Marie-Antoinette
- Youssef Kerkour as Marshal Davout
- Phil Cornwell as Sanson ‘The Bourreau’
- Édouard Philipponnat as Tsar Alexander
- Ian McNeice as TBC
- Paul Rhys as Talleyrand
- John Hollingworth as Marshal Ney
- Gavin Spokes as Moulins
- Mark Bonnar as Jean-Andoche Junot
What’s Napoleon about?
Napoleon will focus on the origins of Napoleon Bonaparte, his military career, and his storied rise to becoming Emperor of France through the lens of his turbulent relationship with his wife Josephine.
The official synopsis from Apple TV is as follows:
“Napoleon is an original 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. The film captures Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.”
When it comes to Napoleon’s life, there’s no shortage of stories that wouldn’t make for an excellent movie. From commander, to politician, to conqueror, he was an enigmatic figure who, just when you think you’ve worked him out, always seems to have another layer to his personal history.
Aside from being the original Short King (though historians have been known to dispute his height shortcomings over the years), he was also known for being a bit of a romantic. His love letters have become renowned over time, and he even wrote a romance novel in 1795.
Josephine was an incredibly complex persona in her own right. Before she was wed to Napoleon, she was previously married and produced three children with a man who was guillotined during the Reign of Terror. Josephine herself would also find herself imprisoned and on the line for execution, though she narrowly avoided her fate.
Is there a Napoleon trailer?
The Napoleon trailer was released on July 10, 2023, and gives a full look at the large-scale battle sequences and personal events that were landmarks in Napoleon Bonaparte’s life.
It appears to set up Napoleon as the complex and power-driven figure he was, and also looks to show his military experience. After all, Napoleon was renowned for his skills and intelligence in battle, so it makes sense that the war movie would shine a light on the no doubt awful moments of war that marked his military career.
We also see him meeting Josephine for the first time, a relationship that appears to have plenty of struggles and plays for power between the two dynamic and ambitious figures.
Where can I watch Napoleon?
Napoleon will be released in theaters in November 2023, and will eventually wind up on Apple TV Plus.
Since the project is partly an Apple TV Plus production, we imagine it would land on the streaming service a few months after a decent theatrical run. While you wait, you can get stuck into all the best Apple TV Plus shows.
That’s all we have on Napoleon for now. Take a look at our list of the best Joaquin Phoenix movies of all time, or see what we thought of his most recent performance in our Beau is Afraid review. You can also see what we know about the Joker 2 release date, and see how often both Phoenix and Scott appear on our best movies of all time list.
You can also get to know all the other new movies left to come in 2023, and see what else is out there on streaming with everything new on Netflix and everything new on Paramount Plus these days.
