Is there a four-hour cut of Napoleon? Apple TV+ release news
Ridley Scott's historical epic has only just opened in UK cinemas – but an even longer version will soon be available too.
More so than just about any other working director, Ridley Scott has a rather complicated history when it comes to releasing various cuts of his films.
This is perhaps most evident when it comes to his 1982 classic Blade Runner – when a Director's Cut and then a Final Cut were released several years after the original – but other films such as his 2005 epic Kingdom of Heaven have also been given the same treatment.
Now, it appears that his new film Napoleon is the latest to fall into the same category, with an extended four-hour version of the recently released movie apparently already on the way.
Read on for everything you need to know about the four-hour cut of Napoleon.
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Is there a four-hour cut of Napoleon?
Yes – Ridley Scott has been clear that, in addition to the version which has now been released in cinemas, he had made a much longer cut of the film, which he hopes will soon be available.
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Scott first announced the "fantastic” extended version in an interview with Empire back in September, explaining that it would devote more time to Napoleon's relationship with Empress Joséphine, as played in the film by Vanessa Kirby.
Meanwhile, he later revealed to Total Film magazine that he'd cut this version down from four-and-a-half hours to a slightly shorter four-hours-and-10-minute runtime.
He said: "What will happen is, we’ll screen [the theatrical cut] first with Sony, and then it has its run, and then the perfect thing is that [the director’s cut] goes to streaming."
Napoleon Director's Cut Apple TV+ release date speculation
It's not yet clear when exactly the extended edition will actually arrive on Apple TV+, but as alluded to above it won't be until after the film has enjoyed a theatrical run.
We're therefore extremely unlikely to see the Director's Cut before the end of 2023, with the earliest we can probably hope for sometime in spring 2024.
We'll update this page as and when any more information becomes available.
Napoleon is now showing in UK cinemas and comes to Apple TV+ at a later date. Start your seven-day Apple TV+ free trial.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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