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Lincoln Cathedral transformed for Joaquin Phoenix Napoleon movie

BBC Preparations taking place ahead of filmingBBC
Crews have been busy preparing the set for the arrival of the film's cast on Thursday

A UK cathedral is being transformed into a set for Joaquin Phoenix's upcoming Napoleon Bonaparte biopic.

The Joker star plays the title role in the film, helmed by director Ridley Scott, which charts the rise to power of the diminutive French emperor.

Crews have been making final preparations at Lincoln Cathedral, where cameras will roll from Thursday.

The Grade I listed landmark is a popular filming location and doubled as Westminster Abbey in the Da Vinci Code.

Locals have speculated that Scott and crew plan to use the gothic structure as a stand-in for Notre-Dame, in Paris, which was ravaged by fire in 2020.

Napoleon's first wife, Josephine, will be played by Vanessa Kirby, who portrayed Princess Margaret in Netflix series The Crown.

PA Media Joaquin PhoenixPA Media
Joaquin Phoenix stars in the title role of the Ridley Scott-directed picture
Film props
Statues and thrones were among the props visible on the set

The stars will be the latest to grace Lincoln's cathedral and the cobbles of the city's historic quarter, which recently provided the backdrop for Mike Leigh's film about the Peterloo Massacre.

Small-screen productions have also availed themselves of the photogenic surrounds, with the Antiques Roadshow and Scaling Britain - in which Jonathan Foyle of Time Team fame climbed to the top of the cathedral's 272ft (82.9m) central tower - among the TV shows filmed there.

Lincolnshire County Council, which controls roads in the city, said traffic and parking restrictions would be in place near the cathedral from 15 to 19 March.

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