If there's one thing we love here at Empire, it's a good old meaty Director's Cut. And if there's one thing we really love here at Empire, it's a good old meaty Ridley Scott Director's Cut. Kingdom Of Heaven, Blade Runner, Gladiator — you name it, there's a pretty good chance Sir Ridders' Final Cut is the definitive one to seek out. And with that being said, today Scott has unveiled a suitably epic-sized new cut of his Joaquin Phoenix starring historical epic Napoleon. Surprise dropped on Apple TV+ today, the Alien filmmaker's newest Director's Cut boasts a whopping 48 minutes of never-before-seen footage to savour. Check out the legendary auteur's typically sardonic announcement of the new cut below:
Grossing a whopping $221 million at the global box office upon release last year, Scott's Napoleon struck a chord with cinemagoers thanks to its staggering sense of scale, Phoenix and co-lead Vanessa Kirby's magnetic lead performances, and the low-key deadpan humour underpinning — and, in a typically Scott fashion, undercutting — its historical grandiosity. More than merely a straight-laced, soup-to-nuts account of Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to all-conquering French emperor, Scott's film centralises upon Napoleon's tempestuous relationship with wife Josephine (Kirby). In this new cut of the film then, fans can expect to see even more of Josephine's side of the story, even more of the jaw-slackening sets and set pieces Scott conceived for the film (including the dearly missed and much anticipated Battle of Marengo), and even more fine details of how the man who conquered half of Europe's fall came to pass.
With Sir Ridley Scott's next epic Gladiator II — a movie described by the feted director as "one of the best things I've made yet" during our world exclusive chat for this month's issue of Empire — well on its way, there's no time like the present to take a trip back to late 18th century France with Phoenix, Kirby, and co. And just to reiterate, you can watch Napoleon: The Director's Cut — all 205 minutes of it — on Apple TV+ right now. So what are you waiting for? Merci, Sir Ridley!