It seems like at least one studio is learning from previous examples. Ridley Scott‘s 4-hour director’s cut of “Napoleon” will reportedly get a release. A historic epic starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scott claims his 4 hour and 10 minute cut will air after the theatrical cut has been released and had its run.
“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 thins is that [the director’s cut] goes to streaming, and we have four hours 10 minutes,” Scott said.
The theatrical cut is sitting at just over two and a half hours. Phoenix plays the controversial French leader, summarizing his life in the film. Though the run time is long, filming was completed in just two months. That’s a very quick turn around for this elaborate, big-budget project. The quick filming was achieved through the use of 11 to 14 cameras.
“Every Scene is geometry,” Scott said. “By having 11 to 14 cameras, we shot ‘Napoleon‘ in 62 days. I’m doing ‘Gladiator 2‘ now in 54 days, because I’m not doing 50 takes with one camera, on one shot, and then turning around.”
The efficiency of a filmmaker is also in part due to having the ‘right cast.’ Scott decided on Phoenix as his leading man after seeing his performance in “Joker.” “I’m staring at Joaquin [in Joker] and saying, ‘This little demon is Napoleon Bonaparte,'” Scott said.
The four-hour director’s cut of “Napoleon” will stream on Apple TV+ after the theatrical cut has premiered on November 22nd, 2023. “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which also stars Lady Gaga, is due out in 2024. “Gladiator 2,” which stars Pedro Pascal, Denzil Washington, and Connie Nieslen, has a release date of  November 22nd 2024.
