Apple's Ridley Scott-led Napoleon movie gets a trailer ahead of its theatrical release

A still from Ridley Scott's Napoleon film, with horses charging into battle.
(Image credit: Apple)

When we heard that Ridley Scott was working on a "historical action epic" called Napoleon, our interest was very much piqued. And now we've seen the first trailer it's clear that we were right to take an interest. Because Apple's use of the word "epic" seems to have been well-placed.

The Apple Original Films production is part of a partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment and will take its theatrical bow on Wednesday, November 22. That's still a long way away but the theatrical release suggests that Apple harbors Oscar-shaped ambitions for the movie. And it might have a point.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor himself, this already had the makings of a must-watch. And we're sure that you'll agree after checking out this trailer. 

Another Apple TV Plus winner?

Apple TV Plus has become a real force in the streaming world thanks to hits like Silo, Severance, CODA, and others. And this trailer has enough to suggest that it might have another hit on its hands.

Apple's description definitely helps to set the scene for what's to come.

"Directed by Scott from a screenplay by David Scarpa, 'Napoleon' stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader," the press release says. "The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby." The description continues, saying that "the film captures Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.

Sounds pretty good, right?

You'll of course be able to watch Napoleon on Apple TV Plus at some point in the future but Apple hasn't said when just yet. Once it does happen you'll be able to watch on just about anything, but be sure to check out our Apple Prime Day deals if you want to score a bargain Apple TV+ 4K to watch in style.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.