Searchlight Pictures has set an August 29 release date for its upcoming dark comedy, The Roses, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. The film is a modern reimagining of the 1989 classic, The War of the Roses, which is based on Warren Adler's novel.
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 film explores the seemingly perfect lives of Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch), a successful couple with a loving marital relationship and great children. However, beneath the surface of their idyllic existence, tensions begin to rise as Theo's career falters while Ivy's ambitions soar, igniting a fierce competition and hidden resentment between them.
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.
Searchlight president Matthew Greenfield expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating that "The Roses is a wildly funny, bigger than life, and yet deeply human story. With Jay at the helm, and Benedict and Olivia and Tony, we have a dream team bringing it to life."
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.