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Joaquin Phoenix and Ridley Scott will team up for the Blade Runner director's upcoming historical epic, Napoleon. But have the two worked together before?
Gladiator
23 years before he made Napoleon, Scott released a film called Gladiator. Another historical epic, Gladiator followed Maximus Decimus Meridius' (Russell Crowe) revenge tale against Commodus. Phoenix starred as the conniving Commodus, who is the film's antagonist.
The film was a huge hit. Gladiator grossed over $500 million at the box office — the second-highest total of Scott's career behind 2015's The Martian. The film also received 12 Academy Award nominations, winning five including Best Picture. Phoenix was nominated for Best Supporting Actor while Crowe won Best Actor.
While he didn't win for Gladiator, Phoenix finally won an Academy Award for his role in Joker. He was previously nominated for his performances in Gladiator, Walk the Line, and The Master. A sequel to Gladiator with Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington was in production prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Years later, Ridley Scott once again teams with Joaquin Phoenix on Napoleon. Since they last worked together, Scott has directed 16 films including American Gangster, Prometheus, The Last Duel, and House of Gucci.
In Napoleon, Phoenix plays the titular role. The film chronicles Napoleon's rise to power through the lens of Empress Joséphine, who is played by Vanessa Kirby.
Apple and Columbia Pictures (through Sony) will co-distribute the film. Napoleon will first receive a full theatrical release beginning on November 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ at a later, undisclosed date.
Napoleon will be released on November 22.
