If you’ve missed Benedict Cumberbatch’s face on the big screen, fear not. He’s making another appearance, alongside Olivia Colman, in a “reimagining” of the 1989 film The War of the Roses.
In the film, the duo will star as a dysfunctional married couple, Theo and Ivy, whose picture-perfect life together goes awry when Ivy’s career takes off while Theo is fired from his job as an architect. “Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo: successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids,” reads the synopsis. “But beneath the facade of their 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.”
Interested in actually going to the movies for the first time in ages? Here is everything you need to know about The Roses.
The The Roses trailer dropped today
Searchlight Pictures has released the trailer with the caption, “all’s fair when love is war,” teasing escalating tension as Theo grows frustrated by his lack of career success, while Ivy seems to be climbing the career ladder. In the trailer, the couple is seen bickering, moving through a divorce, with Ivy pointing a gun at her husband at one point.
The film is a remake of 1989’s The War of the Roses
The film is loosely based on a book, The War of the Roses, written by Warren Adler in 1981. It has been translated onto the big screen in a 1989 movie of the same name, directed by Danny DeVito and starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and DeVito as well. The 2025 screenplay adaptation was taken on by Tony McNamara, the Oscar-nominated writer for Poor Things and The Favourite and creator of The Great.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Andy Samberg in The Roses.
The Roses will also costar Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon
Sometimes side characters are the real lifeblood of a film, and we’re excited about the broader cast lineup. Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon will both costar in The Roses, appearing as friends of Theo and Ivy’s. In the trailer, McKinnon’s character listens to Theo as he opens up about his marital struggles.
Meanwhile, Allison Janney appears as Ivy’s lawyer, taking them through what appear to be grueling couple’s divorce proceedings. Other members of the cast include Belinda Bromilow, Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, and Zoë Chao.
The movie will be in theaters August 29
The movie will hit theaters across the U.S. on August 29.
Rachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publication’s feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.
