Ridley Scott Has A Four-and-a-Half Hours ‘Napoleon’ Cut He Wants To Release

Ridley Scott wants to release an extended cut of his historical epic Napoleon.

In the September 2023 issue of Empire Magazine, Scott revealed that he has a “fantastic” cut of the movie. As is, Napoleon runs for a whopping 2 hours and 38 minutes – and that’s after leaving two-and-a-half hours of material on the cutting room floor. The director’s extended version runs nearly four-and-a-half-hours.

According to Scott, the Napoleon extended cut provides more depth to the character of Joséphine de Beauharnais, played by Vanessa Kirby. Napoleon covers a lot of the titular character’s life and legacy but the extended cut will feature Joséphine’s life before she meets Napoleon.

Scott is keen on releasing the extended version, but it is unclear if Apple (who funded the film) will do it. An extended version of Napoleon could pique the audience’s curiosity and potentially encourage them to rewatch the film.

Plus, Scott is no stranger to revisiting his movies and releasing longer versions. Some of which have turned out to be better than the theatrical release too. Blade Runner: The Final Cut and Kingdom of Heaven were both better received than their originals.

As of now, Scott is currently working on his Gladiator sequel. The ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes has momentarily paused filming for the movie, but it is currently slated to release on 22 November 2024.

Napoleon, however, will hit theatres on 23 November 2023, before streaming on Apple TV+.