With hit films like Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator already under his belt, the esteemed filmmaker Ridley Scott is showing no signs of slowing down.
The 85-year-old is currently gearing up for the release of his new historical biopic, Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role.
However, while the subject matter and its leading star look set to make the drama a hit, not everyone has been all that impressed with it so far.
When the Napoleon trailer first dropped over the summer, fans had a lot of feelings about Joaquin’s accent, while a video was posted on TikTok pointing out a series of historical inaccuracies, which quickly went viral.
It doesn’t sound like Ridley is paying all of that too much attention, though.
Asked by The New Yorker how he felt about the drama’s historical inaccuracies being pointed out online, he urged the critics in question to “get a life”.
Joaquin previously defended the film during an interview with Empire magazine, explaining: “If you want to really understand Napoleon, then you should probably do your own studying and reading.
“Because if you see this film, it’s this experience told through Ridley’s eyes.”
Elsewhere in his New Yorker interview, Ridley was asked about the fact that, despite his game-changing film career, he’s never received an Academy Award for directing (Gladiator did win Best Picture in 2001, though this was awarded to producers David Franzoni, Branko Lustig, and Douglas Wick).
“If I ever get one, I’ll say, ‘About feckin’ time!’” Ridley told The New Yorker.
Napoleon is due to be released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 22 November, after which it will be available to stream on Apple TV+.
The film also features The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby, as well as Ben Miles and Tahar Rahim.
Watch the trailer for Napoleon below: