Joaquin Phoenix to Star as French Emperor Napoleon in Apple TV+ Film 'Kitbag' Directed by Ridley Scott

Apple has committed to financing and producing "Kitbag," an epic film directed by Ridley Scott that will star Joaquin Phoenix as French emperor and military leader Napoleon, according to Deadline. Phoenix is well known for his Oscar-winning performance as "Joker" in 2019, and he also played Roman emperor Commodus in Scott's epic film "Gladiator" in 2000. Production of the film is expected to begin in early 2022.

Ridley Scott Joaquin Phoenix Napoleon Bonaparte 1
"Napoleon is a man I've always been fascinated by," Scott told Deadline. "He came out of nowhere to rule everything — but all the while he was waging a romantic war with his adulterous wife Josephine. He conquered the world to try to win her love, and when he couldn't, he conquered it to destroy her, and destroyed himself in the process."

"No actor could ever embody Napoleon like Joaquin," added Scott. "He created one of movie history's most complex Emperors in Gladiator, and we'll create another with his Napoleon. It's a brilliant script written by David Scarpa, and today there's no better partner than Apple to bring a story like this to a global audience."

"Kitbag" is one of several upcoming films coming to Apple TV+. A drama film "Palmer" starring Justin Timberlake is set to debut January 29, and an action-thriller film "Emancipation" starring Will Smith is in the early stages of development.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
imac video apple feature

Apple Makes Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever

Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

Top Rated Comments

SharkeyStormcrow Avatar
66 months ago

Joker sucked. I'm not impressed at all.
So you’re going to throw away the rest of the man’s career? Makes sense.

Joker was a dreadful film, but Phoenix is a brilliant actor.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
66 months ago

Joker sucked. I'm not impressed at all.
While I wouldn't go as far and say Joker sucked, it is certainly very overrated -- largely predictable and mostly a series of character development rather than developing a story into a major payoff.

What is not overrated is Joaquin Phoenix's performance. He is just riveting to watch.

Moreover, Ridley Scott had nothing to do with Joker. His action oriented story telling has potentials to be effective for the subject matter, Napoleon. There hasn't been much films or TV series about Napoleon, at least not recently.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghanwani Avatar
66 months ago
He's too tall for the role.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macdos Avatar
66 months ago

Gladiator was great. Expect it to be more like that.
Gladiator was extremely great, and so is anything made by Mr. Scott. However, the Bonaparte story is way more complicated.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timber Avatar
66 months ago
All about this project is interesting but this part makes anyone cringe.


He conquered the world to try to win her love, and when he couldn't, he conquered it to destroy her, and destroyed himself in the process.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
name99 Avatar
66 months ago
No
"Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News ('https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/political-news.218/') forum."
?

Poor Napoleon. One hundred and fifty years ago this would have been a third-rail issue, with everyone having a strong opinion!
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)