Like just about every different Ridley Scott video,’ Napoleon’ is getting a author’s cut
Napoleon [Apple TV+]
The Ridley Scott epic, “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut”, is now available on Apple TV+. The online version is 48 minutes longer than its theatrical release. The epic historical drama, “Napoleon”, was released in 2023 on the big screen, but Ridley Scott, the director and coproducer, wanted to release a longer edition. Now we know the length of the Apple TV+ version. “Napoleon”, written by David Scarpa told the story of its historical protagonist, his rise to prominence, and his relationship Josephine. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby and others, ran in theaters for 157 minutes or two hours 37 minutes. The teaser, which was posted on YouTube on Thursday, said that there were 48 minutes more of new footage in the new release. The new film is now 3 hours and 25 mins long. Subscribe to AppleInsider YouTubeThis is still short of what Scott originally wanted to release. In August 2023 he claimed that there was a ‘fantastic’ version lasting 270 mins, or just over four and a quarter hours. In October, he got to four hours and ten minutes. “Napoleon : The Director’s Cut”, along with the shorter theatrical version, is now available via Apple TV+. Scott has made many director’s cuts, and often extended the films that moviegoers have already seen. The director’s edit of “Kingdom of Heaven”, “The Martian”, and “Black Hawk Down”, added almost an hour of extra footage. The director’s cut of “Gladiator”, a big release, added 15 minutes to the epic. However, the 2003 version of 1979’s “Alien” was re-edited and had a rare one-minute reduction. “Blade Runner”, which had two director’s edits, was the first cut in 1992. It changed the tone and reduced the running time by one minute. A “Final Cut”, released in 2007, which was deemed the right release because Scott had full creative control, restored that lost minute.