Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch to perform in remake of War of Roses

By Alimat Aliyeva

Searchlight Pictures has announced that Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch will play in a new version of the story about a couple of Roses, directed by Jay Roach, who shot the film franchises "Austin Powers" and "Meet the Parents." The screenwriter is Tony McNamara ("The Poor and the Unfortunate", "Cruella", "Genius"), Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

The film tells about the ideal couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Colman), who have a successful career, wonderful children, and wonderful relationships. But behind the beautiful facade lies a powder keg of rivalry and rage that erupts when Theo's professional dreams are shattered.

Matthew Greenfield, president of Searchlight, said: "Roses is an incredibly funny, wonderful, and at the same time deeply human story… We have a dream team led by Jay, Benedict, Olivia, and Tony, who have made this dream come true."

The original English title "The War of the Roses" refers not only to the surnames of Oliver and Barbara Rose but also to the English "Wars of the Red and White Roses", a 30-year series of bloody dynastic conflicts between factions of the English nobility in the second half of the 15th century.

The original version of The War of the Roses was released in 1989 with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in the lead roles. The actors played a couple who decided to divorce and started a real war in the process of clarifying their relationship. The director of this film was Danny DeVito, who played the role of a lawyer in the film.

The current project is considered to be a "reworking" of the late Warren Adler's 1981 novel The Source. The project involves production companies associated with both main roles. According to Deadline, Cumberbatch will produce the film under his own SunnyMarch banner along with Leah Clark and Adam Ekland, who have been working on the project since 2017.