First Footage Of Historical Epic Drama ‘Napoleon’ Featuring Joaquin Phoenix Shown At CinemaCon

At CinemaCon, the first trailer for “Napoleon,” Ridley Scott’s grand historical epic about the French military leader, was unveiled.

Not merely in terms of subject matter, the movie is a hybrid of the modern and the old. It is being made by one of the newest tech companies to enter the movie industry, Apple Original Films, and is being distributed in theatres by Sony, a more established company that promoted the film during its presentation.

Tom Rothman, president of Sony Pictures, promised, “The film shouts big screen.”

Napoleon Bonaparte, a superb military tactician who ruled over most of Europe before watching his empire fall, is portrayed in the lead role by Joaquin Phoenix. However, the movie isn’t entirely focused on the conflicts that shaped history. By examining the combustible dynamic between the visionary commander and his wife Josephine, who is portrayed by Vanessa Kirby, it will also provide a more intimate look at the leader.

However, the film shown at CinemaCon concentrated on a snowy battle between the French and an opposition army (perhaps the Cossacks?), which was tricked into a trap with deadly results. Marital strife was not featured in this footage.

Napoleon instructs his forces to give the impression that they are on higher ground. Napoleon’s unfortunate adversaries are duped into retiring onto sheer ice while cavarries attack and artillery fire.

The movie has a chance to win big during award season. For “Pieces of a Woman,” Kirby was previously nominated for an Oscar; Phoenix, on the other hand, won the award for best actor for “Joker.” Scott has also directed historical epics like “Gladiator,” “The Last Duel,” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” so he is adept at them.

Rothman, who pointed out that Scott hasn’t yet received an Oscar, said, “He can do things cinematically that few, if any, filmmakers half his age can do.”  This time around, Scott “does it on a scale not seen in years,” according to Rothman.

On Nov. 22, “Napoleon” will debut exclusively in theatres before being made available for global viewing on Apple TV+ at a later time.

The movie was made together with Scott Free Productions.  The film was produced by Scott, Phoenix, Kevin Walsh, and Mark Huffam. Executive producers were Aidan Elliott and Michael Pruss. The movie’s screenplay was penned by David Scarpa.