The Roses trailer: Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are in a tit-for-tat battle and a marriage with irreconcilable differences

Searchlight Pictures unveiled the trailer for The Roses, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, on Wednesday. The upcoming dark comedy is a modern reimagining of the 1989 classic, The War of the Roses, which is based on Warren Adler's novel.

The trailer starts by showing Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch) as a happily married couple with great children. But beneath their seemingly perfect facade, Ivy's rising ambition clashes with Theo's struggling career, fuelling a toxic mix of rivalry and simmering resentment between them. In a chaotic, scary yet comical way, the two seem ready to go to any extent to get away from each other.

The Roses is directed by Jay Roach, known for films like Meet the Parents and Bombshell, from a screenplay by Tony McNamara of Poor Things fame. The cast also includes Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoe Chao, Belinda Bromilow, and Kate McKinnon. Roach, Michelle Graham, Ed Sinclair, and Tom Carver serve as producers, with Cumberbatch also producing under his SunnyMarch banner alongside Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke.

The original 1989 film adaptation of The War of the Roses, directed by Danny DeVito and starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, was a critical and commercial success, earning a BAFTA and three Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Comedy.

The Roses is all set to hit theatres on August 29.