Ridley Scott reveals when his Napoleon biopic, Kitbag, will begin filming. The legendary filmmaker known for Alien, Blade Runner, and countless other hits, is still fresh off the release of his most recent film, The Last Duel, which tells the story of the last known trial by combat in medieval France between a knight who accuses his squire of raping his wife. Despite its star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck, The Last Duel bombed at the box office, which Scott recently attributed to cell-phone-obsessed millennials.
Now, Scott is right back on the press circuit promoting his next film, House of Gucci, which releases on November 24, though some can't help but to look ahead to projects the 83-year-old director already has lined up for next year. One of them is a Napoleon Bonaparte biopic titled Kitbag. The film has tapped Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role, reteaming him with Scott for the first time since Gladiator in 2000, in which Phoenix also played a complex emperor. Comer is also due to reunite with the director, as she has reportedly been cast in the role of Napoleon's wife, Josephine. Kitbag will seemingly be released on Apple TV+.
Now, during an interview with BBC Radio (via Deadline), Scott reveals that his Napoleon Bonaparte epic, Kitbag, will begin filming on January 15 for Apple Studios. Plot details for the film are slim, though it is known that Kitbag will focus on numerous aspects of Napoleon's life from his humble origins, ruthless rise to power, and famed military battles, all through the lens of his volatile relationship with Josephine.
Scott's intense productivity at the age of 83 is quite the marvel, considering he just delivered The Last Duel and House of Gucci in back-to-back months and will begin production on another major motion picture after such short rest. This is especially impressive leading into an epic film like Kitbag which he referred to as a "monster" during the interview. Also on Scott's plate are the upcoming Alien and Blade Runner television adaptations, which he will have some hand in crafting.
The director has tackled biographical dramas before, as his last two films could even fit into that category, though Kitbag is shaping up to be an entirely different beast. If the film does end up depicting some of the most famous battles in the Napoleonic Wars, it might end up dwarfing the scope and scale of Scott and Phoenix's previous historical epic. Perhaps it is only fitting that such a legendary director and accomplished actor are tackling the life of a fabled figure like Napoleon.
Source: BBC Radio (via Deadline)