Ridley Scott's four-hour 'Napoleon' director's cut will be released to streaming audiences.

The 85-year-old director has confirmed that an extended version of his upcoming historical epic – which features Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor – will be available to viewers on Apple TV+ once the picture has been released in cinemas.

Ridley told Total Film magazine: "I'm working on it. 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."

The 'Blade Runner' director also revealed that he managed to shoot the period film in just 62 days, incorporating the staging of six epic battles.

Ridley explained: "Every scene is geometry. By having 11 to 14 cameras, we shot 'Napoleon' in 62 days. I'm doing 'Gladiator 2' now in 54 days, because I'm not doing 50 takes with one camera, on one shot, and then turning around."

The filmmaker reunites with 'Gladiator' star Phoenix in the new movie and explained that the actor's Oscar-winning performance in 'Joker' persuaded Scott to cast him as the controversial military leader.

He said of the 2019 film: "I'm staring at Joaquin and saying, 'This little demon is Napoleon Bonaparte'. He looks like him.

"With 'Napoleon', I think we dug in and found the character, or as close to what he may have been. Joaquin is probably the most special, thoughtful actor I've ever worked with."

Scott compares Napoleon to the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler but says that he was "extraordinary".

The 'Alien' director said: "I compare him with Alexander The Great. Adolf Hitler. Stalin.

"Listen, he’s got a lot of bad s*** under his belt.

"At the same time, he was remarkable with his courage, and in his can-do, and in his dominance. He was extraordinary."