Ridley Scott’s 4-hour Napoleon cut shelved indefinitely

Last Updated on April 5, 2024

As much anticipation there was for Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, once it was revealed that there was a four-hour cut, hype rushed like a cavalry. The theatrical cut — which clocked in at just under two hours and 40 minutes — may not have been the full-blown epic that we hoped for but we still wanted that four-hour version. But we may need to rein it in because word now is that there is no immediate plan to release it after all.

According to World of Reel, Apple said that the director’s cut of Napoleon would  “not be made available any time soon.” If definitely true, this would be a huge disappointment, especially since Ridley Scott himself confirmed not only its existence but its release, saying last year, “I’m working on it. It was four [hours] 10 [minutes] this morning…And so 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, and we have four hours 10 minutes.”

Napoleon star Joaquin Phoenix also casually promoted the extended cut of the film, saying, “Napoleon is almost three hours long, although Scott has a “fantastic” near four-and-a-half-hour cut, which features more of Joséphine’s life before she meets Napoleon. He’d love Apple (who funded the film) to eventually screen it.”

Ridley Scott has been synonymous with director’s cuts, with versions of even some of his finest films — namely Alien and Blade Runner — coming years after the theatrical cuts. While we all expected that the four-hour Napoleon would be hitting streaming much sooner than these turnarounds, it’s worth pointing out that Apple hasn’t completely confirmed that we’ll never see it, just that it’s not on the immediate calendar. While the latter part is a bummer, we can still hope that Scott will use his force to bring it to viewers sooner than later.

Napoleon would be nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects. 

Do you hope to see the extended cut of Napoleon or do you not anticipate greatness with it? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.