First trailer for Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ starring Joaquin Phoenix
Apple Original Films and Sony Pictures have released the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s latest historical epic, Napoleon, detailing the rise and fall of French commander Napoleon Bonaparte.
Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) stars as Bonaparte in Scott’s 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, Josephine, and capturing Napoleon’s famous battles, including the seizure of Egypt, his relentless ambition and strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.
Alongside Phoenix, Napoleon stars Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine, Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, Ben Miles as Caulaincourt, Ludivine Sagnier as Theresa Cabarrus, Matthew Needham as Lucien Bonaparte, Youssef Kerkour as Marshal Davout, Phil Cornwell as Sanson ‘The Bourreau,’ Edouard Philipponnat as Tsar Alexander, Paul Rhys as Talleyrand, John Hollingworth as Marshall Ney, Gavin Spokes as Moulins and Mark Bonnar as Jean-Andoche Junot.
The film reunites Scott with All the Money in the World writer David Scarpa and is produced by Scott, Kevin Walsh, Mark Huffam and Phoenix, with Michael Pruss and Aidan Elliott serving as executive producers.
Apple Original Films and Sony Pictures will release Napoleon exclusively in theaters on November 22 and then stream on AppleTV+ at a later date. Scott is currently shooting a sequel to his 2000 Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator, starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pescal, set for release next year.
Here is the first trailer for Napoleon, set to a cover of Radiohead’s “The National Anthem.”
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- FINAL Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions of the 2025/2026 Season - March 13, 2026
- FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR - March 13, 2026
- Satellite Awards Winners: ‘Hamnet, ‘Marty Supreme,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ Andor’ and More - March 10, 2026
FINAL Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions of the 2025/2026 Season 
FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR 
‘I Love Boosters’ Review: Boots Riley’s Dressed to Excess Cartoon Revolution is Too Much and Not Enough [B-] SXSW 
‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ Season One Review: Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer Momedy Hits the Mark [B+]