On September 23, 2023, “Napoleon,” the latest historical epic from “Gladiator” creator Ridley Scott, was released. Even though the film was positively received, discussions often revolved around a long-term version that would be 4 hours long and not released in theaters, but directly as a subscription to AppleTV+.
Ridley Scott had the opposite even personally stoked anticipation for the director’s cut when he said it was truly “fantastic.” It was and is unclear when the long version would appear. Now the tension that still reigns on Ridley Scott’s four-hour version has slowed down considerably, because Jordan Ruimy out World of roles has learned that there are currently no plans to release the Director’s Cut from Apple.
No plans for the 4-hour version yet?
Ruimy is said to have been told by Apple officials that the long version of ‘Napoleon’ is not expected any time soon, as there are currently no plans to publish it. This is disappointing news, because as worthwhile as the theatrical version of “Napoleon” is, you can tell that the film failed to fully utilize its narrative potential and felt quite rushed in many nooks and crannies.
It remains to be seen whether we will see the long version of ‘Napoleon’. In any case, it would be a great shame if we ended up missing out on the 4-hour discount. We can expect supplies from Ridley Scott this year: ‘Gladiator 2’, the sequel to the 2000 masterpiece, will launch on November 21, 2022. Russell Crowe is no longer in the lead role here, but shooting star Paul Mescal (“Afterzon”). Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for a first trailer.