April was a very busy month for historical movies and historical tv shows, with my favourite new historical tv series of 2024 finally wrapping up, as well as the sad confirmation that some historical content that many fans including myself were waiting for have been cancelled and also some updates on upcoming historical tv series as well. Carry on reading below to see whats new in the historical world in April 2024!
Napoleon Directors Cut CANCELLED
I think most people would agree that Napoleon was a huge critical and commercial letdown and when I reviewed it on my Youtube channel HistorySpark, I highlighted the fact that Joaquin Phoenix’s acting, terrible pacing and an incoherent plot made Napoleon a difficult film to enjoy. But the one redeeming factor that the movie had going for it was that Ridley Scott had confirmed that he was currently working on a directors cut of Napoleon that would fix the many plot holes and pacing issues of the film. However, according to World of Reel it seems that Apple is no longer onboard with a directors cut of Napoleon and it has been put on the backburner by the streaming platform. According to some sources that World of Reel has that are well connected in the industry, they have been able to confirm that the directors cut of Napoleon will not be getting released anytime soon and there are no concrete plans to release the directors cut in the future either. Personally, I have to say that I am a bit perplexed as to why Apple wouldn’t release a movie that has already been cut and is ready to be streamed. I suspect the reasoning would have to be either the higher ups in Apple Studios are not happy with the final version of the directors cut or perhaps there waiting for audiences to forget how terrible Napoleons run and release has been and they are hoping to revitalise interest in Napoleon a couple of years down the road. But of course I do have to state that these are all rumours and suspicions at this point and no official statement about Napoleons directors cut has been released by Apple as of yet, but this silence on behalf of the studio isn’t reassuring either. If the directors cut of Napoleon has truly been cancelled then I am sad to say that Ridley Scott has once again failed to create a historical epic that was commercially and critically successful.
Domina Season 3 Cancelled
While we are on the subject of cancellations I guess it would be a good time to bring up the disappointing and upsetting fact that Domina has been cancelled and that no season 3 of the series will be getting produced. After 2 seasons the story of Livia Drusilla will come to an abrupt and inconclusive end as season 2 does end on a cliffhanger and Domina really could have used one more final season to wrap the series up in some way or form. I really enjoyed the first season of Domina and I haven’t got around to watching the second season of the series yet and to be honest I don’t think I will do so now, as I hate nothing more than investing time and energy into a tv series just to have it cancelled prematurely. It is unclear why MGM plus has decided to cancel Domina as viewing numbers are not released by the studio and the reviews for the show had been pretty good by both critics and audiences. But it seems that Domina was a show that didn’t get enough mainstream attention and didn’t pull in the viewing figures that MGM probably wanted for the historical drama which meant Domina wasn’t making enough profit for MGM to carry on producing the show.
SHOGUN FINALE & SERIES WRAPPED UP
As far as I am concerned Shogun is the best new historical tv show of 2024 and I don’t think any show perhaps with the exception of Those About To Die that any show will be even half as engaging and entertaining as Shogun was. Shogun is in my opinion the best historical tv mini series ever created and I don’t see any show removing it from this top spot anytime soon. I have made a few dedicated videos about Shogun and reviewed the first 2 episodes on my channel if you need an overview of what this show is about, but I am most people reading this article will have seen the show by now. A quick summary is that this show it is a historical fiction show based off of James Clavell’s novel Shogun and it follows the story of 3 primary characters John Blackthorne a shipwrecked European who ends in up in feudal Japan, Lord Toranaga one of the most powerful daimyo lords in Japan who is knee deep in the politics and court intrigue in the nation and lastly is Lady Mariko a woman with a troubled past who is stuck between a rock and a katana.
Shogun currently sits at a 9/10 on IMDB, a 99% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 95% user approval score, so I think it is safe to say that most viewers and critics who have watched the show have really enjoyed. The final episode of Shogun was released to Disney Plus and Hulu on April 22 and it was a conclusion to the show that I certainly was expecting and I have mixed feelings with the final episode to be honest. im not saying the ending was bad it just wasnt what I expected. If you are happy to watch a show which focuses more on the human cost of war and the politics of war then I am positive you will enjoy Shogun as it is a show that was great from episode 1 to episode 10 and I recommend now that the entire series is complete you binge watch Shogun as soon as possible.
Chosen Season 4 Release Update
If you are like me and have really been enjoying The Chosen tv series then this wait for season 4 of the show may have seemed exceptionally long and you would be right in feeling that way as the release of The Chosen to streaming platforms has been delayed for months now due to legal issues. But I am glad to say we finally have an update on when we can expect to see season 4 of The Chosen released to either the Angel app or a different streaming service. It has been confirmed by The Chosen creator and showrunner Dallas Jenkins that Season 4 of Chosen will be released "within the next four to seven weeks." Meaning we should be able to start streaming new episodes of the series from the end of May or from mid-June worst case scenario. It has also been confirmed that there will be 2 episodes getting released each week most likely every Thursday and every Sunday but the days of release may still change and are not 100% confirmed. Also as I mentioned earlier there seems to have been some legal issues which have resulted in delays of getting Chosen released to streaming platforms. What these legal issues are has not been revealed yet as the case seems to still be ongoing so it will be interesting to get a better idea whats been happening behind the scenes once the legal concerns have all been resolved. But I am just glad that we will be able to watch The Chosen on streaming platforms sooner rather than later and continue to see the story of Jesus told like never before.
THOSE ABOUT TO DIE TEASER RELEASED
Those about to die is an upcoming historical tv series which will be getting released exclusively to Peacock on July 18 2024 and I suspect the show will be based around the start of the construction of the Colosseum by Vespasian and the later modifications made to the Colosseum by his son Domitian. As the changes implemented by Domitian will allow tunnels and passageways to be created under the Colosseum which would allow slaves, gladiators and animals to be brought into the amphitheatre. This is just my own personal opinion based off of the limited information about the show we have so far and the the fact that we know gladiators, death and Emperor Vespasian Domitian are confirmed to be primary factors in Those About to Die. The biggest selling point for me and the reason I am so excited about Those About to Die is because Anthony Hopkins is confirmed to be starring in the series as Vespasian. Anthony Hopkins is a legend in the movie industry and in this point in his career he can pick and choose whatever project he wants to be involved in.
So the fact that Those about to die was able to get him onboard must mean that the script, storyline and characters are all going to be of very high quality and done to a high standard. Also the fact that this show is estimated to have a budget of $140 million dollars for a 10 episode series means that Peacock is investing a lot into this show and we can expect a historical tv series which is visually stunning and engaging. So based on the fact that Anthony Hopkins is leading the cast, the show has a huge budget and the series is set in Ancient Rome, makes me optimistic that Those About to Die might be one of the best new historical tv shows of 2024.
HISTORICAL CONTENT RELEASED IN APRIL 2024
(UK CONFIRMED RELEASES, MAY BE DIFFERENT FOR YOUR REGION)
NETFLIX
Pride & Prejudice (2005) – 1st April
Hitler: The Rise of Evil: Season 1 – 1st April
The English Patient - April 1
Schindler's List – 1st April
Ripley - April 4
A Journey Amar Singh Chamkila – 12th April
The Asunta Case: Season 1 – 26th April
PRIME VIDEO
Bombshell - 1st April
Battle of Britain - 1st April
DISNEY+
Shogun: Season 1 (Episode 7-10) - April
APPLE+
Manhunt: – April
Franklin: Season 1 – 12th April
NOW/ SKY TV
The Warhol Effect – 10th April
Oppenheimer - 12th April
Miranda’s Victim – 21st April
OTHER
A Gentleman in Moscow (Paramount) - April