Apple made history earlier this year when CODA became the first streaming exclusive film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. That has led some to expect they’ll make a big push to repeat that success for the next awards season, with The Ankler reporting the chosen film would be Ridley Scott’s historical epic, Napoleon. While many sites ran with that report, IndieWire notes sources close to the production that say it’s not the case.
According to the new story, Apple will not release Napoleon until 2023. The previous rumor had them dropping the film this Christmas in order to qualify for the Oscars.
This actually makes a lot more sense. Scott began shooting Napoleon in February and wrapped up in May. Despite his reputation for speeding through post-production to hit deadlines, the film will not be completed in time.
Originally given the terrible title of Kitbag, the film stars Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix as French military commander Napoleon Bonaparte, with Vanessa Kirby as his mistress and eventual wife, Josephine.
There’s reason to believe that whenever Scott is finished with Napoleon, Apple will give it a huge backing of support. Scott won Best Picture in 2002 with another massive historical epic, Gladiator, which also featured Phoenix.
