The scope for a definitive film about Napoleon Bonaparte can only be grand. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon was released with a theatrical runtime of just under two hours and forty minutes. However, there has always been talk of a director’s cut that is twice as long. It was reported that Apple, the studio behind the Joaquin Phoenix historical film, has said that the four-hour director’s cut will “not be made available any time soon.” Perhaps their time frame has shortened as the MPAA has just given an official rating to the Napoleon: Director’s Cut. It has been “Rated R for strong violence,
grisly images, sexual content, some nudity and language.”

Ridley Scott himself confirmed not only its existence but its release, saying last year, “I’m working on it. It was four [hours] 10 [minutes] this morning…And so what will happen is, we’ll screen [the theatrical cut] first with Sony, and then it has its run, and then the perfect thing is that [the director’s cut] goes to streaming, and we have four hours 10 minutes.” Napoleon star Joaquin Phoenix also casually promoted the extended cut of the film, saying, “Napoleon is almost three hours long, although Scott has a “fantastic” near four-and-a-half-hour cut, which features more of Joséphine’s life before she meets Napoleon. He’d love Apple (who funded the film) to eventually screen it.”

Meanwhile, the anticipated trailer for Scott’s other historical epic, Gladiator II, has just been released. Here’s the official synopsis from Paramount Pictures, who are releasing the film on November 22: “From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”

While Russell Crowe was openly critical of the script for the original Gladiator, saying there were only 26 useful pages in the whole thing, Mescal feels the opposite about the Gladiator II script. He told Vanity Fair the sequel is about, “What human beings will do to survive, but also what human beings will do to win. We see that in the arena, but also in the political struggle that’s going on outside of my character’s storyline, where you see there’s other characters striving and pulling for power. Where’s the space for humanity? Where’s the space for love, familial connection? And ultimately, will those things overcome this kind of greed and power? Those things are oftentimes directly in conflict with each other.“

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