Should we be worried? We might be. Jay Roach’s remake of Danny DeVito’s 1989 black comedy “The War of the Roses,” shortened to “The Roses,” is now set to open on August 29. That is a strange release date even for a commercial contender starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. Searchlight Pictures made the dating announcement this afternoon, just in time for CinemaCon next week.
The original “Roses” was adapted from William Adler’s 1981 novel of the same name, and found Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner portraying Oliver and Barbara Rose, a seemingly perfect couple who go to battle in an ugly and over-the-top divorce battle. DeVito played a key lawyer in the conflict with a young Sean Astin as their teenage son. Produced by James L. Brooks and Arnon Michlan, “Roses” earned strong reviews and was a big hit, earning $160 million worldwide off a $26 million production budget.
The new “Roses” features an adaptation from two-time Oscar nominee Tony McNamara (“The Favourite,” “Poor Things”) and features Colman and Cumberbatch as Ivy and Theo, respectively. The studio’s official synopsis states: “Life seems easy for the picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo: Successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the facade of their supposed 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.”
The cast also includes Adam Samberg (“Palm Springs”), Allison Janney (“I, Tonya”), Ncuti Gatwa (“Dr. Who”), Jamie Demetriou (“Fleabag”), Zoe Chao (“The Afterparty”), Belinda Bromilow (“The Great”), and Kate McKinnon (“Bridesmaids”).
Word is this is not an awards movie, and Searchlight is excited about its commercial prospects. The unconventional date is a similar frame to “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” last September. Opening movies on Labor Day for an adult audience is not ideal, and primarily for genre or horror flicks such as 2007’s incarnation of “Halloween” and 2023’s “The Equalizer 3.” One outlier is “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which debuted as the nation was coming out of the pandemic in 2021 to a $94 million opening. Disney’s mini-major is hoping “Roses” bucks that trend and word of mouth carries it through September.
Roach’s last directorial effort for theaters was “Bombshell” which grossed $61 million off a $32 million production budget and earned Oscar nominations for stars Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie, as well as a Best Makeup and Hairstyling nom.In 2023 recently produced and directed “High Desert” for Apple TV+.
The prolific Cumberbatch was just in Park City for the world premiere of U.K. drama “The Thing With Feathers.” He next appears in Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” which is expected to debut at Cannes in May.
Colman won a Best Actress Oscar for “The Favourite,” written by McNamara, and also appeared at Sundance with the indie “Jimpa” this past January.
“The Roses” opens nationwide on August 29
