It has been more than 20 years since Ridley Scott directed Joaquin Phoenix to an Oscar nomination as the scheming Commodus in Gladiator. The pair is re-teaming for the story of a much more qualified commander in Napoleon-focused drama Kitbag.
With David Scarpa – who wrote All The Money In The World for Scott – back on script duty, the film’s title is derived from the saying, "There is a general’s staff hidden in every soldier’s kitbag." This will be 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 intention is to capture Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.
The ever-busy Scott shows no signs of slowing down – he just finished shooting The Last Duel on Wednesday and is already planning for production to kick off on his next pic, Gucci in Italy this coming March. He'd like to make Kitbag after that. Which is good news for us, but not great for the many movies squatting on his to-do list.