Napoleon: Here's Where You Can Watch The Historical Drama
The first trailer for "Napoleon," an upcoming feature film adaptation of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, premiered online on July 10. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the notorious French conqueror alongside Vanessa Kirby as his wife Joséphine. While Napoleon's rise from military commander to Emperor will serve as one of its main narrative threads, his relationship with Joséphine is likewise a central part of this particular version of his life story.
At the end of its trailer, a title card reveals that the film will premiere exclusively in theaters around Thanksgiving 2023. That said, "Napoleon" is an Apple TV +original, so anyone who would rather watch it at home can rest assured that it will appear on the streaming service at some point in the future.
Currently, Apple has yet to specify the exact date the film will become available online. In the past, the majority of Apple TV+ original movies that first premiered in theaters ended up on the streaming service just one or two weeks later. If Apple follows this precedent, "Napoleon" could be online as soon as November 29. Given the pedigrees of director Ridley Scott and its cast, however, it's entirely possible Apple breaks from this tradition and extends its theatrical window.
Because "Napoleon" is an Apple TV+ original, the film will be available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+ once it's online.
Joaquin Phoenix provided significant input during the making of Napoleon
In a sense, "Napoleon" is familiar territory for both Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix. Previously, the two collaborated on "Gladiator," another historical epic. That said, "Napoleon" doesn't appear to be a typical biopic. Perhaps most notably, the members of its main cast — all playing French characters — speak English, and in their natural accents rather than sharing a common dialect. Strict realism, then, seems to be less of a concern than emotional truth in this telling of Napoleon Bonaparte's life.
Furthermore, Scott revealed in an interview with Empire that he honored Phoenix's insights into his character so closely that he rewrote portions of the script during filming. "With Joaquin, we can rewrite the goddamn film because he's uncomfortable. And that kind of happened with 'Napoleon,'" he said. "What was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better."
Scott then went on to describe Phoenix in glowing terms. "Joaquin is probably the most special, thoughtful actor I've ever worked with," he said. Those interested in this close collaboration between the esteemed director of "Alien" and the Oscar-winning star of "The Master" can watch "Napoleon" in theaters starting on November 22 or exclusively on Apple TV+ when it premieres online at a later date.