Joaquin Phoenix Looks Amazing In Epic Napoleon Trailer
If Joaquin Phoenix were a Spider-Man villain—not that he needs another billion-dollar comic-book franchise—he would be The Chameleon. No one working in Hollywood today has the ability to inhabit a role completely—to wear it as a second skin—the way Joaquin Phoenix does, and Napoleon is no exception. A trailer for the upcoming historical epic just dropped, and it looks like another easy W for the actor.
The first full trailer for Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix, has been released.
The infamous warlord operated in a time before video recording, making it impossible to know just how accurate Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal is from a historical viewpoint, but as far as the Napolean Bonaparte of legend is concerned, the Gladiator star totally nails it.
With one line, “I’m the first to admit when I make a mistake, I simply never do,” Phoenix perfectly captures the megalomaniacal version of Napoleon we all learned about in history class.
Of course, fans would expect nothing else from director Ridley Scott. Scott is no stranger to coaxing career-highlight performances out of his actors.
He did it with Harrison Ford in Blade Runner, Matt Damon in The Martian, and now it looks like he’s done it again with Joaquin Pheonix in Napoleon. Of course, one could make the argument that with actors of Phoenix’s caliber, it would be hard not to get a great performance.
There’s an outdated—by 2023 standards at least—saying that behind every great man is a great woman, and Napoleon was no exception. Alongside Joaquin Pheonix’s Napoleon, the trailer also showcases Vanessa Kirby as the equally infamous Josephine.
It’s easy to see from the trailer that the two actors have an almost effortless chemistry, nowhere more evident than in a scene where Josephine cheekily asks Napoleon what costume he’s wearing, only to have the slightly chagrined general explain that he’s in his military uniform.
With one line, “I’m the first to admit when I make a mistake, I simply never do,” Phoenix perfectly captures the megalomaniacal version of Napoleon we all learned about in history class.
As per IMDb, the film is billed as an “original and personal look at Napoleon Bonaparte’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor.” Scott directed the movie based on a screenplay by David Scarpa, the pen behind several episodes of The Man in the High Castle as well as the 2008 The Day The Earth Stood Still remake starring Keanu Reeves.
Joining Joaquin Pheonix and Vanessa Kirby in Napoleon are Tahar Rahim, Ian McNeice, and House of Gucci’s Catherine Walker as Marie-Antoinette.
The movie is still in post-production with a November 22 release date. While Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is already creating a buzz for Napoleon, many fans have set their sights past the upcoming historical drama and toward next year’s Joker: Folie a Deux.
The Sequel To Joker
The much anticipated musical sequel to 2019’s megahit Joker stars Phoenix as the returning Arthur Fleck opposite Lady Gaga as the Clown Prince of Crime’s infamous lady friend Harley Quinn. Given how well-received Phoenix’s portrayal of the Joker was the first time around, plus the novelty of the sequel being a musical, Joker: Folie a Deux is sure to have a spectacular opening weekend.
Until then, however, fans will just have to be content with Joaquin Phoenix as a different kind of supervillain when Napoleon drops later this year.
