A remake of War of the Roses starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch is coming — we explore the idea

Deadline reports on The Roses, a remake of the 1989 film War of the Roses, in turn adapted from the 1981 novel of the same name by Warren Adler. The new film stars Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, and is being directed by Jay Roach. The leads in the original were Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. Danny deVito also starred and directed.

The synopsis for The Roses 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.

How does The Roses compare to War of the Roses?

Part of the attraction of the 1989 film was in the casting. Turner and Douglas starred as lovers in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile (deVito also appeared in both). A lot of the initial impact was seeing the two engage in the mutual destruction of their marriage. On Rotten Tomatoes the film scores 83% with critics and 71% with the audience, with deVito’s directing receiving many plaudits. Jay Roach has a strong track record, including the Austin Powers films, Meet the Fockers, Meet the Parents and more besides.

Colman and Cumberbatch need no introduction, though this is the first time they’ve played leads in the same film. We look forward to finding out out how this develops.