The first picture of Joaquin Phoenix (48) as Napoleon is here. However, the actor is hardly recognizable in the scene photo. In the midst of his men, the general rides into battle with drawn saber. The colors appear cold and grim.

“Napoleon”, the film’s simple title, is scheduled to hit cinemas worldwide on November 22, 2023. Apple and Sony Pictures have now announced the start date. After the theatrical run, the historical film will be shown on Apple TV. An exact date for the evaluation in streaming has not yet been set.

Unlike its competitor Netflix, which only shows its own films briefly in cinemas, Apple relies on longer showings in cinemas. The group had only recently taken this step with another prestigious film. “Killers of the Flower Moon” by Martin Scorsese (80) with Leonardo DiCaprio (48) and Robert De Niro (79) will be in cinemas on October 19, 2023.

With the dates of “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Napoleon” one can assume that Apple is eyeing the 2024 Oscars. Works that production companies think have a good chance are usually released in cinemas at the end of the film year.

“Napoleon” tells the rise of the eponymous general and later Emperor of the French, who, according to director Ridley Scott (80), “came out of nowhere”. In addition to the battles, the focus is on Napoleon Bonaparte’s turbulent relationship with his first wife, Joséphine.

“He conquered the world to win her love, and when he failed, he conquered it to destroy it, destroying himself in the process,” Ridley Scott once told Deadline about Napoleon and Joséphine’s relationship . “The Crown” actress Vanessa Kirby (34) embodies the empress after Jodie Comer (30, “Killing Eve”), who was actually intended, jumped off.

For Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix, it is the first film together since another historical spectacle – “Gladiator” from 2000.