Apple TV+ Sets Streaming Premiere Date for 'Napoleon'

Apple TV+ has set an official streaming premiere date for Napoleon, its splashy, historical epic that follows the rise and fall of the iconic French emperor. Directed by Ridley Scott (The Last Duel), the movie's theatrical run saw it nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, Production Design, and Costume Design) and four BAFTAs, including Outstanding British Film of the Year. Now, it's set to stream globally on Apple TV+ beginning March 1.

The film stars Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) as Napoleon Bonaparte, whose tactical military genius made him a national hero and whose relentless ambition ultimately put him on the throne of France. The film recreates several of his most famous battles and strategic victories, and dives into his intense relationship with his wife. The Crown's Vanessa Kirby plays Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's empress, and the woman generally accepted to be the love of his life. She was six years older than her husband when the pair wed in 1796, and though their love story is remembered as one of history's greats, it did not start that way. 

A widow with two children, she wasn't the sort of woman his family was hoping he'd marry, but she was rich and she needed a patron in the wake of her first husband's death. (He was guillotined during the Revolution.) It's commonly accepted wisdom that Napoleon initially loved his wife much more than she loved him, but their feelings for one another ultimately evolved into something intense, unstoppable, and lifelong. (Though their marriage was annulled in 1810 due to his need for an heir, Napoleon remained in love with her, and reportedly locked himself into a room for two days when news of her death reached him.)

Here's the film's description. 

Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte's relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed. 

Alongside Phoenix and Kirby, the film also stars Ben Miles (The Capture) as Caulaincourt, Matthew Needham (House of the Dragon) as Lucien Bonaparte, Tahar Rahim (The Serpent) as Paul Barras, Ludivine Sagnier (The Serpent Queen) as Theresa Cabarrus, Youssef Kerkour (Domina) as Marshal Davou, and Phil Cornwell (Mrs. Brown's Boys) as Sanson ‘The Bourreau,’ Paul Rhys (A Discovery of Witches) as Talleyrand, John Hollingworth (Gentleman Jack) as Marshall Ney, Gavin Spokes (The Ipcress File) as Moulins, Mark Bonnar (Guilt) as Jean-Andoche Junot, and Edouard Philipponnat as Tsar Alexander. 

An Apple Studios production in conjunction with Scott Free Productions, the film is written by David Scarpa, and produced by Kevin J. Walsh, Mark Huffam, Phoenix and Scott, with Michael Pruss and Aidan Elliott serving as executive producers.

Napoleon will stream globally on Apple TV+ beginning Friday, March 1.