By Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” hits cinemas this week, a two-and-a-half-hour theatrical release exploring the life of the famous French emperor and military strategist that explores his life through his relationship with Josephine.
Scott himself previously teased that he has a four-hour cut of the film that will premiere on Apple TV+ at a later time, most likely sometime well into 2024.
That admission drew immediate recall of 2005 when Scott’s Crusades epic “Kingdom of Heaven” was released to mixed reviews and a soft $218 million at the box-office. That 144-minute theatrical release was followed the following year by a disc release of his ‘Director’s Cut’ which clocked in 50 minutes longer.
The latter is now seen as not just the definitive version of the film but one of Scott’s best works. Speaking with Deadline recently whilst promoting “Napoleon,” Scott says he considers the cuts he made to “Kingdom of Heaven” a mistake:
“Kingdom of Heaven, I removed 17 minutes and shouldn’t have, which was the dilemma of the Princess of Jerusalem who discovered her son had leprosy. So that took that whole story sideways, and ate up 17 minutes of the movie. But to me, it just made the movie more meaty. And I removed it to get the story flying, and I regret it. But now I watch it and I think, wow, that’s good. Pretty good.”
“Kingdom of Heaven: Extended Director’s Cut” is available on disc and some digital platforms. The theatrical cut of “Napoleon” debuts in theaters on November 22nd.
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