Vanessa Kirby to Replace Jodie Comer in Historical Drama 'Kitbag'

Fresh off his French medieval epic The Last Duel, directly Ridley Scott will turn his gaze to the Napoleonic era with Kitbag, but he won't be taking his most recent leading lady with him.

Duel star Jodie Comer was initially attached to play Josephine Bonaparte in the upcoming drama, which is said to be an original and personal look at Napoleon's origins and his swift climb to ultimate power told through the lens of his volatile relationship with his wife. But now, thanks to COVID-related scheduling issues, Comer has had to bow out of the project. (And it sounds as though she's rather sad about it, according to the initial story in The Hollywood Reporter.)

“Unfortunately, due to COVID and changes of schedule, I don’t think I can make Kitbag work right now due to a scheduling conflict,” the actress told THR’s Scott Feinberg on his Awards Chatter podcast. She wasn’t thrilled about the development, calling it “rubbish.”