Apple Studios to finance and produce Ridley Scott's next passion project 'Kitbag

It has been recently reported via Deadline that Apple will be financing and producing Ridley Scott's next major picture 'Kitbag' for their streaming service and which is looking to begin shooting in the UK around the start of 2022. The film will center on the life of French conqueror and military leader Napoleon, whom will be played by Jaoquin Phoenix coming off his recent Oscar win for his role as the Joker.

The script for the film has been written by David Scarpa who also wrote the 2017 Scott-directed picture All the money in the world, released in December of 2017 on a budget of $50 million and raking in $57 million box office. Producing alongside Apple Studios will be Ridley Scott and Kevin Walsh for Scott Free who first showed the script to 20th Century Studios due their first look deal but nothing was made of it by years end allowing Ridley Scott to take the script elsewhere and now how has a reported first look television projects deal at Apple Studios.

In an interview with Deadline Scott said "Napoleon is a man I've always been fascinated by" and continued on by saying "He came out of nowhere to rule everything but all the while he was waging a war with his adulterous wife Josephine. He conquered the world to win her love, and when he couldn't, he conjured it to destroy her, and destroyed himself in the process." Scott also mentioned later on in the interview with Deadline that his reason for choosing Jaoquin for the the role is due to that fact that no one else, he believes, could embody such a complex character as Napoleon, which he mentions Jaoquin proved being able to do so in his comparably complex role as Roman leader Commodus in the 2000 Best Picture Winner Gladiator.

I can't think of a better director and casting to take on such an epic film considering the success of their last teaming up on Gladiator, as it was also a major time period piece but am looking forward to seeing it on big screen.

---

News for story via Deadline

Image via Business Insider