New 'Napoleon' Poster Flaunts a Regal Vanessa Kirby

Kirby stars in the Ridley Scott-directed film alongside Joaquin Phoenix.

Filmmaking titan Ridley Scott is returning to the big screen later this year with his latest offering, the historical epic Napoleon. Leading the film as the titular conquerer is Joaquin Phoenix, who reunites with the director for their first film in over two decades. But of course, there would be no Napoleon without his Empress Joséphine, who will be played in the upcoming movie by Vanessa Kirby. Now, a new poster for the film has been released, showcasing Kirby in the role, ahead of the film's November 22 release date.

While the upcoming film will largely center around the notorious emperor's rise and fall, in what is set to be an action-packed epic, great focus will be placed on the volatile relationship between the ruler and his beloved Joséphine. While the pair may have experienced conflict in history, their big screen counterparts' relationship couldn't have been smoother, as Kirby previously spoke of her and Phoenix's creative partnership saying "It’s the greatest thing when you have a creative partner and you say, ‘Right, everything’s safe. I’m with you. And we’re gonna go to the dark places together." Kirby replaces Killing Eve's Jodie Comer in the role. Comer was initially set to appear asJoséphine but had to drop out due to COVID-19 related scheduling conflicts.

Kirby will step into the role following appearances in the Mission: Impossible franchise, as well as Netflix's The Crown, in which she appeared as another royal figure, Princess Margaret. She previously spoke to Empire magazine about the challenges faced in her efforts to embody the character, saying “What was so challenging, and kind of elusive, about her, was that every single book, whether it was first-hand accounts, third-hand stories, documents, testimonies, and Napoleon’s letters… every single one was completely different." She explained "She was just this massive contradiction. Every time I thought I’d locked down, ‘Okay, this is who she is, and I think I can get hold of this’, something would completely counteract it.”

In the same interview, Phoenix also spoke of the pair's complex romance, saying "We never really got to the bottom of it. I don’t know if you can call it love. I don’t know what it was. But we encouraged each other, demanded of each other, to challenge ourselves to shock each other in moments. And that’s what came out of that, that moment."

Napoleon, which had originally been titled Kitbag, will also star Ben Miles, Ludivine Sagnir, Matthew Needham, Tahar Rahim, Phil Cornwell, Edouard Philipponnat, and Youssef Kerkour. The movie has been awarded an R-rating on account of strong violence, sexual content and language. Helmed by Scott, the director is no stranger to large-scale action epics, having previously worked with Phoenix on the 2000 film Gladiator.

Napoleon charges into theaters on November 22. Check out the new poster, as well as the movie's trailer, below:

Luke Dawe is a London based news writer, musician and drag performer. When not writing for Collider - @lukejdawe on twitter - Luke can be found wearing wigs at @bbxface.