Actors in Napoleonic costume arrived at Lincoln Cathedral as film crews set cameras rolling for a highly anticipated movie starring The Joker’s Joaquin Phoenix.
Steered by acclaimed director Ridley Scott, the Napoleon Bonaparte biopic, currently billed as either ‘Napoleon’ and ‘Marengo’, charts the rise of the French emperor to power.
It will be directed by Ridley Scott (left) and star actors including Joaquin Phoenix (right). | Photo: IMDB
Napoleon’s first wife, Josephine, will be played by Vanessa Kirby, famous for her role as Princess Margaret in The Crown.
Also making an appearance will be hundreds of extras, many recruited from the local area.
Local supporting actors waiting for their cue outside Lincoln Cathedral. Photo: Joseph Verney
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
While preparations at Lincoln’s Grade I listed cathedral and the historic quarter have been ongoing in recent days, filming began on Thursday, March 17.
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Grand props were lifted from trucks onto the cobbled streets to transform Lincoln Cathedral into Notre Dame for the film.
| Photo: Ronnie Byrne for The Lincolnite
Photo: Joseph Verney
Sculptures, thrones and other details have been carted into the cathedral, which has been mostly closed off to the public.
The film is the latest motion picture to have sought the backdrop of the city’s most iconic building.
In 2019, it was the set for scenes in Netflix’s The King, starring Timothée Chalamet.
The Cathedral Quarter has also become a film set for Mike Leigh’s Peterloo and The Da Vinci Code.
Also read: 10 famous movies filmed in Lincolnshire you can watch now
