Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman to star in "The Roses"

Searchlight Pictures announced that Academy Award Nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, The Imitation Game) and Academy Award Winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Father) will star in The Roses, a reimagining of the 1989 classic ‘The War of the Roses’. The dark comedy, currently in development, will be directed by Jay Roach (Bombshell, Meet the Parents) and is written by Tony McNamara (Poor Things, ‘The Great’), based on the novel by Warren Adler. Producers are Cumberbatch under his SunnyMarch banner with Leah Clarke and Adam Ackland, who have been in development on the project since 2017, Colman under the South of the River banner with Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver, along with Roach and Michelle Graham.

Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Colman): successful careers, great kids, an enviable sex life. But underneath the façade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentments that’s ignited when Theo’s professional dreams come crashing down.

Jonathan R. Adler and Michael Adler, from Adler Entertainment Trust, are executive producing. The Roses marks the first project under a two-year first-look deal signed between Adler Entertainment Trust and Searchlight Pictures.

“The Roses is a wildly funny, bigger than life, and yet deeply human story,” said Searchlight President Matthew Greenfield. “With Jay at the helm, and Benedict and Olivia and Tony, we have a dream team bringing it to life.”

“We are thrilled to be working on this very special film with such an incredible team,” added SunnyMarch’s Ackland. “We have been long admirers of Jay’s work and his vision and passion to tell this story is incredibly inspiring.”

South of the River’s Colman and Sinclair said, “We have been cooking this up with our friends at SunnyMarch for some time, and it has been an absolute thrill to see it spring into life under Jay’s passionate and thoughtful guidance. He and Tony are a match made in cinematic comedy heaven.”

“Working with our partners at Searchlight Pictures in this reimagining of the classic movie is a dream come true,” added Adler Entertainment Trust CEO Jonathan R. Adler. “We are delighted to continue the legacy of our father’s brilliant work and introduce The War of the Roses to a new generation.”

Twentieth Century Fox had released the original adaptation of The War of the Roses novel in 1989, directed by Danny DeVito and starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. The critically acclaimed film won numerous awards and garnered one BAFTA and three Golden Globe nominations, including for Best Motion Picture.

Cumberbatch became a household name as Sherlock Holmes on the British television series ‘Sherlock’. His acclaimed film credits include Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 12 Years a Slave, and August: Osage County. His portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game earned him a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Cumberbatch was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2015 Birthday Honours for his services to the performing arts and to charity.

Colman most notably won an Academy Award in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite. For this role, she also won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Actress. Following, Colman received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her performances in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s, The Lost Daughter and Florian Zeller’s The Father. On television, Colman has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and a Golden Globe Award for her performance as ‘Queen Elizabeth II’ in the period drama series ‘The Crown’; a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ‘The Night Manager’; and BAFTA Awards for her roles in ‘Broadchurch’, ‘Twenty Twelve’ and ‘Accused’. Additional acclaimed performances include Wicked Little Letters, Wonka, Empire of Light, The Iron Lady, ‘Fleabag’ and Tyrannosaur.

Roach has earned acclaim and become renowned throughout his career, notably for his work on the Austin Powers film series, Meet the Parents, The Campaign, Trumbo, and Bombshell. His television credits include Recount, Game Change, which won the Golden Globes for Best Miniseries or TV Movie, and All the Way. He produced these films under his Everyman Pictures banner. Roach has received four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Cumberbatch is represented by Conway van Gelder Grant and UTA, Colman by CAA and United Agents, and Roach by UTA, Mosaic, and Behr Abramson Levy Johnson.

Paul Hoffman negotiated the overall deal for Searchlight Pictures with Jeff Silberman of King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano for Adler Entertainment Trust. Searchlight VP of Production Richard Ruiz and Director of Development & Production Pete Spencer are overseeing the project, reporting into Searchlight Production Heads DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.