‘Napoleon’: Read The Screenplay That Reteamed Ridley Scott And David Scarpa For A Historical Epic

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with Napoleon, David Scarpa’s screenplay that fuels Ridley Scott’s historical epic starring Joaquin Phoenix.

The screenplay details the rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor, forming the skeleton around which Scott creates his signature action, this time around highlighted by massive and dynamic (and practical) battle sequences depicting battles at Austerlitz, Toulon and Waterloo.

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At the story’s core is Napoleon’s journey to power seen via the prism of his volatile relationship with Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby. Tahar Rahim and Rupert Everett also star.

For Scarpa and Scott, the film marks a reteam after the two worked together on All the Money in the World, the 2017 crime drama based on the true story of the 1973 kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, and the attempts by his mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

The writer and director have already jumped right back into it together: Scarpa penned the screenplay for Gladiator 2, Scott’s return to ancient Rome after Gladiator, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2000 among its 12 nominations. The sequel has resumed shooting after its strike hiatus and is slotted to be released in November 2024.

As for Napoleon, Apple partnered with Sony Pictures Entertainment for a November 22 worldwide theatrical release. The pic has grossed $207 million to date at the global box office.

Click below to read the script.

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