Netflix just announced a new history-inspired series relating to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, which will be released on August 39. Local French Teacher Madame Bowman will be playing the lead role of Napoleon Bonaparte. The decision to cast her has led to some criticism by Netflix fans on Twitter, who say she is too tall for the role (at a whopping five feet and zero inches). However, the show’s producer, Emmanuel Macron, tweeted in response, “Madame Bowman is the perfect way for us to depict Napoleon. Her courage and strength as well as her superior French skills make her the best choice for the role.”
The series will involve the struggles of Napoleon throughout the French Revolution and will be focused on teaching French to soldiers in a hot air balloon. Upon hearing about the news, some historians criticized the show’s historical accuracy. In response, the director, Justin Trudeau, said in an interview with The Tattler, “These historians have no evidence that this isn’t accurate. Until they provide 4K video evidence, then they have no proof it didn’t happen.”
Madame Bowman agreed to an interview with The Tattler, however, she required that it be in French. Her most notable response was when asked how much of the series would be in French. She stated, “Most of the lines are in English. However, my student-, I mean the soldiers in the hot air balloon, must have a certain number of lines in French and use the correct amount of reflexive, irregular, and subjunctive verbs.” When asked why all of the soldiers go to the same high school, Netflix did not comment.
Poster for Netflix’s Napoleon show, courtesy of Netflix
