Ridley Scott revealed that Napoleon was rewritten to match its star actor Joaquin Phoenix better. The film, set to be released on Apple TV+ sometime in 2023, plans to showcase how Napoleon rose to power and how that rise related to Empress Joséphine, his first wife. Joaquin Phoenix is slated to star as Napoleon, while Vanessa Kirby will appear as Joséphine, and the titular character has seen some significant rewrites.
While the historical epic promises to display the true ascent of Napoleon, Scott has not shied away from admitting to some details being changed. Phoenix performances are often even better than expected, but Scott admits that there needed to be some changes to help him along. In an interview with Empire, he revealed that he rewrote the film to better match Phoenix to help him get in the right mindset to get a better handle on the French Emperor.
"Joaquin is about as far from conventional as you can get. Not deliberately, but out of intuition. That’s what makes him tick. If something bothers him, he’ll let you know. He made [Napoleon] special by constantly questioning. With Joaquin, we can rewrite the goddamn film because he’s uncomfortable. And that kind of happened with Napoleon. We unpicked the film to help him focus on who Bonaparte was. I had to respect that, because what was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better.”
Everything We Know About Napoleon
Napoleon is currently in post-production, but there aren't too many details about the film that have been released. Luckily, the first behind-the-scenes images of Napoleon have been revealed, and they portray a Joaquin Phoenix who has completely embodied the look of the emperor. While there has not yet been a glimpse of his wife, history is clear that Joséphine committed adultery while Napoleon was away on campaign. The production will surely center around the conflict that spawned from it. With Napoleon desperately needing to save face, fighting is sure to ensue, and no one can better depict a troubled and morally questionable protagonist than Joaquin Phoenix.
Every Upcoming Joaquin Phoenix Movie
Of course, Napoleon isn't the only Phoenix movie on the way. Phoenix has also recently finished initial production on Beau is Afraid, a horror and comedy film set to span over several decades. Phoenix is set to star as the titular Beau, and the film promises to be a surreal nightmare. Beau is Afraid will be directed by Ari Aster, who previously directed Midsommar, and the poster alone is proving to be eerily cheerful. If that tone holds for the movie, it promises a jarring and terrifying experience.
After Beau is Afraid, Phoenix will reprise his role as Joker in Joker: Folie à Deux. While the original Joker was a dark and uneasy psychological thriller, Folie à Deux promises to be a musical featuring Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn and Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond. The film is slated for a 2024 release, which means that Beau is Afraid and Napoleon will be the only currently announced 2023 projects for Phoenix, and details are still elusive for both.
Source: Empire