Ridley Scott doesn’t like how Joker “celebrates violence”

Ridley Scott has just made a Napoleon movie with Joaquin Phoenix, and while promoting that collaboration, the director referenced the actor’s wildly successful Joker flick, saying he doesn’t like how that film “celebrated violence.”

Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix first worked together on Gladiator, a global smash that won multiple Academy Awards, and widespread critical acclaim. So expectations are high for their new movie.

Napoleon’s official synopsis calls it: “A spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.”

As a co-production between Sony Pictures and Apple, Napoleon will be released in theaters in November, before streaming on Apple TV, and Ridley Scott is already out there promoting the movie, while offering hot takes on his own movies, as well as the films of others.

Ridley Scott doesn’t like how Joker “celebrates violence”

At a Deadline event in London, Ridley Scott talked about his star, saying: “I was blown away by his outrageous film Joker. I didn’t like the way it celebrated violence, but Joaquin was remarkable. I thought he’d be an amazing asset to Napoleon, [not only creatively but] also in a commercial sense. There were only two actors I had in mind for the role. I won’t mention the other one.”

Scott also name-checked their previous collaboration, stating that while Joaquin Phoenix’s character Commodus is seemingly the villain, he’s actually “the most sympathetic character in Gladiator, being the product of such a neglectful father.”

How Napoleon was shot in half the usual time

While discussing the making of Napoleon at the same event, Ridley Scott said he shot the movie in just 62 days, roughly half the time that it would usually take to make an historical epic of this kind.

“Normally a film like this would be shot in around 110,” he explained. “I discovered years ago that eight cameras are eight times faster. Every department has to be able to keep up with my speed. Actors don’t want to hear the story of life before each take. I discovered that early on. A well-known Welsh actor once told me, ‘I love what you do because you move so quickly.’ You’ve got to know the geometry of the scene. If you don’t, it’ll be 3pm before your first shot gets rolling.”

Napoleon is released worldwide on November 11, 2023, before streaming on Apple TV soon after. For more TV and Movies coverage, head here.