UPDATE: Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman’s remake of The War of the Roses is happening

Last Updated on April 5, 2024

UPDATE: It looks like we were right about this one, with the trades officially confirming today that the War of the Roses “reimagining” with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman is a go! Both Cumberbatch and Colman will also be attached as producers through their own production companies. There is no news yet about when it will start shooting, but realistically, the earliest we’ll see it is the end of 2025.

ORIGINAL POST: Let’s get ready to rumble. Marital woes can get ugly. A couple of years ago, the public became enthralled with the defamation trial between former married couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, where things got ugly. It was such a competitive public thrashing between the two stars that Alice Cooper would joke that Depp and Heard should star in a remake of The War of the Roses. Cooper, who is friends with Depp, told him, “I have a great idea. You and Amber do a remake of The War of the Roses. Who wouldn’t go and see that?”

Alice Cooper may not have gotten the cast he wanted, but a remake of The War of the Roses is, in fact, on its way under the title The Roses. According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Jay Roach, who is known for the Austin Powers trilogy and the Meet the Parents movies, will be helming the new film for Searchlight Pictures with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as the feuding couple. The film is written by Tony McNamara, who has written the recent awards nominee Poor Things, as well as Yorgos Lanthimos‘ previous film The Favourite. Producers on the film include Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke, Ed Sinclair, Tom Carver, Jay Roach and Michelle Graham.

The synopsis for the film reads,
“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. Marital bliss erupts into a hilariously ferocious battle of wills in this dark comedy about love, power, and the lengths we’ll go to win.”

The film is shooting in the United Kingdom, and currently, the production is casting for looks to be the twin children of Theo and Ivy, named Roy and Hattie. They are looking for roles for the younger and teen versions of the children. The siblings also seemingly take after their parents with their competitiveness. The casting description reads, “The twins are super disciplined competitors, runners and great all-around athletes who follow a rigid training protocol but also, and IMPORTANTLY, have a great dry, witty sense of humor learned from both parents.”