Joaquin Phoenix to Attend ‘Napoleon’ Paris Premiere in Post-Strike Return to Normal for Red Carpets
“Napoleon” is ready to conquer again.
The upcoming Ridley Scott action epic, from Apple and Sony, will host its world premiere on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, and it will be the first film premiere since the strike ended to have a full roster of actors in attendance, aside from the few that received interim agreements from SAG-AFTRA like “Priscilla” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
At this time Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby and Tahar Rahim are all scheduled to attend alongside Scott. It is, of course, possible for other performers to be confirmed prior to the premiere.
It marks the first of many happy returns to normal for Hollywood as the historic SAG-AFTRA strike has come to an end with agreement on a deal worth over $1 billion that includes “unprecedented” protections against AI. Full details of the deal will be released on Friday.
Scott’s film follows Napoleon (Phoenix) and his rise to power, through the lens of his relationship with Empress Joséphine (Kirby, in a role originally earmarked for Jodie Comer). Rahim plays Paul Barras, who served as executive head of the Directory during the French Revolution.
“Napoleon” marks the first time that Phoenix and Scott have worked together since 2000’s “Gladiator,” which earned Phoenix a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination (he lost to Benicio Del Toro in “Traffic”) for his role as the Roman emperor Commodus. Phoenix could be seen earlier this year in Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid” and will reprise his Oscar-winning role next year in “Joker: Folie à Deux” alongside Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener.
Scott was hard at work on a sequel to “Gladiator” when the strikes hit. He had been shooting in Malta. He plans on resuming soon to hit the film’s 2024 release date before moving on to a Western (possibly based on S. Craig Zahler’s “Wraiths of the Broken Land” with a script by his “Martian” screenwriter Drew Goddard). He also just finished editing a longer version of “Napoleon” that will be released on Apple TV+. He is 85 years old.
“Napoleon” will be released theatrically by Sony on Nov. 22 before appearing on Apple TV+ at a later date.
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