‘Napoleon’ Comes to Apple TV+, But When Will Ridley Scott Release the ‘Napoleon’ Director’s Cut?

Napoleon began streaming on Apple TV+ today, but the film is not—as some Ridley Scott fans had hoped for—the four-hour-long Napoleon director’s cut that Scott has promised is coming.

Instead, the version of Napoleon streaming on Apple TV+ is the theatrical cut of the film, which is a mere two hours and 37 minutes long. C’mon, Mr. Scott, give us something to chew on! What is this, a short film competition?

I kid. Obviously, 157 minutes is a pretty long movie already. But Scott, who directed the 2023 biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, had said in an interview with Total Film back in October that he was working on a director’s cut that clocked in at four hours and 10 minutes, and that it would be released on streaming, presumably on Apple TV+. (The film was a joint release between Sony and Apple, with Sony handling theatrical and Apple handling streaming.)

“I’m working on it,” Scott told the magazine back in October. “It was four [hours] 10 [minutes] this morning. And so what will happen is, we’ll screen [the theatrical cut] first with Sony, and then it has its run, and then the perfect thing is that [the director’s cut] goes to streaming, and we have four hours 10 minutes.”

However, despite what Scott said, Apple never confirmed that the director’s cut of Napoleon would debut on its streaming service. Here’s what we know right now:

Napoleon streaming Apple TV+ release date:

Napoleon began streaming on Apple TV+ today, March 1. The theatrical cut of the movie comes to streaming three months after opening in theaters.

You’ll need an Apple TV+ subscription or a login from a friend to watch the movie on Apple. A subscription to Apple TV+ is $4.99/month. There are also a few Apple TV+ free trial options you can try if you haven’t used them already.

When is the Napoleon director’s cut release date?

There is no release date for the director’s cut of Napoleon at this time. Decider reached out to Apple to see when, if ever, the director’s cut of Napoleon might be released on Apple TV+, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

At this point, we’re not sure if the director’s cut will still happen. Napoleon received mixed reviews from critics, although it did manage to drum up three Oscar nominations at the impending Academy Awards. (Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Visual Effects.) Still, there are plenty of Scott fans out there that would certainly stream the film. Stay tuned to find out when, if ever, you’ll get those full four hours of Napoleon being a silly little guy.