Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman Face Off in Darkly Twisted ‘The Roses’ Trailer

Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are collaborating to give a classic dark comedy a new twist.

 The trailer for ‘The Roses’, a contemporary adaptation of the 1989 movie ‘The War of the Roses’, has been released by Searchlight Pictures.  Theo and Ivy, a married couple whose seemingly perfect life starts to fall apart as Ivy’s career takes off right after Theo loses his job as an architect, are portrayed by Cumberbatch, 48, and Colman, 51.

Tensions between the two rapidly escalate, as the trailer shows.  Ivy’s increasing success and Theo’s mounting annoyance about his career failure collide, sparking a string of heated conflicts.  Bickering quickly turns into a full-fledged fight as both characters plan against each other, particularly when Ivy is seen pointing a gun at Theo.

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Ivy and Theo seem to have it all, according to the official synopsis: successful careers, a contented family, and a steady marriage.  However, beneath that glitzy facade is a developing power struggle as Ivy’s goals rise and Theo’s confidence declines.  The end consequence is an unstable mixture of long-standing animosity and rivalry that has the potential to destroy everything.

 The couple’s friends in the movie are Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon, whose character seems to show a special interest in Theo when he is feeling vulnerable.  Ivy’s strong divorce attorney, played by Allison Janney, is ready to handle anything in the split.

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Belinda Bromilow, Jamie Demetriou, Ncuti Gatwa, Sunita Mani,  and Zoë Chao are also part of the ensemble cast.  Jay Roach (‘Meet the Parents’, ‘Austin Powers’) is the director of ‘The Roses’, while Tony McNamara (‘Poor Things’, ‘The Great’) is the writer.

 Despite telling its own plot, ‘The Roses’ is based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel, which served as the basis for the first movie, which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.  The story’s deep internal conflict is echoed in the title, which alludes to the actual battles of the Roses, a bloody sequence of civil battles in 15th-century England.

 In August, ‘The Roses’ will be released in theatres.

–Farheen Ali