'War of the Roses' Remake Will Bloom in August
Michael Douglas in the 1989 version of 'The War of the Roses'
20th Century
The War of the Roses will recommence this summer...just not quite in the way many Anglophiles likely expect. (Sadly, there are no Plantagenets or Lancasters to be found.) Feature film The Roses is officially set to arrive in theaters this August, a reimagining of the 1989 dark comedy The War of the Roses.
Based on the novel of the same name by Warren Adler, the original The War of the Roses reteamed Romancing the Stone stars Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner for a much darker and more biting project in 1989. The duo played Oliver and Barbara Rose, a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. But when their relationship begins to crumble, their belongings — specifically their lavish mansion — become the center of their increasingly vicious divorce battle.
This time around, we'll see British acting titans Benedict Cumberbatch (The Thing with Feathers) and Olivia Colman (The Crown) face off as the film's titular married couple, Theo and Ivy, whose enviable lifestyle masks darker feelings of competition and resentment between them. Just as Theo's career begins to sputter, Ivy's own ambitions take off, leaving the pair at odds about many things.
Though the duo are basically British acting royalty, Cumberbatch and Colman have never appeared onscreen together before. Yes, the pair both starred in the charmingly offbeat period film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, but while Cumberbatch played its titular character, Colman merely provided the voice of the story's narrator.
Here's the film's synopsis.
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo: successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.
Alongside Colman and Cumberbatch, The Roses boasts an all-star ensemble that includes U.K. actors Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) and Jamie Demetriou (Fleabag), Australian actor Belinda Bromilow (The Great), and American actors Andy Samberg (Lee), Allison Janney (The Diplomat), Zoë Chao (Modern Love), and Kate McKinnon (Yesterday). Screenwriter Tony McNamara, the series creator behind The Great, penned the script; the film is directed by Jay Roach (Bombshell).
“The Roses is a wildly funny, bigger than life, and yet deeply human story,” Searchlight Pictures president Matthew Greenfield said in a statement when the film was announced. “With Jay at the helm, and Benedict, Olivia, and Tony, we have a dream team bringing it to life.”
Executive producers include Roach, Michelle Graham, Ed Sinclair, and Tom Carver. Cumberbatch is producing under his SunnyMarch banner along with the company's Leah Clarke and Adam Ackland.
The Roses will officially hit theaters on Friday, August 29, 2025.
