Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon have officially joined the star-studded cast of Jay Roach’s latest project, The Roses. The film, starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, is a contemporary take on the 1989 classic The War of the Roses, based on Warren Adler’s novel.
Star-studded Cast and Crew
Joining Colman and Cumberbatch are Ncuti Gatwa, Sunita Mani, Zoë Chao, Jamie Demetriou, and Belinda Bromilow. The film begins production this month with a script penned by Tony McNamara. It revolves around Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch), a seemingly perfect couple whose lives unravel when Theo’s career aspirations collapse.
Production Insight
The producers include Cumberbatch under his SunnyMarch banner with Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke, Colman under South of the River with Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver, along with Jay Roach and Michelle Graham. Jonathan R. Adler and Michael Adler of Adler Entertainment Trust are executive producers.
When Searchlight sent me Tony McNamara’s script, I was skeptical because I loved the original film,
said Roach. But as a fan of Tony’s darkly hilarious writing, and with Olivia and Benedict attached, I knew it would go in a new and wonderful direction. Adding in this phenomenal dream cast will make this relatable love-story/divorce story a wild cautionary tale.
A Behind-the-scenes Look
No release date has been set as of yet. Matt Greenfield, President of Searchlight Pictures, expressed his excitement: We feel so fortunate to be working with this remarkable, wonderfully hilarious group of actors.
Alongside director Jay Roach behind the camera are cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister, production designer Mark Ricker, editor Jon Poll, costume designer PC Williams, and makeup designer Wakana Yoshihara.
Building on Success
Kate McKinnon is best known for her Emmy-winning role on Saturday Night Live. Her recent film credits include Barbie, Bombshell, Yesterday, and The Spy Who Dumped Me. She will next appear in Searchlight’s In the Blink of an Eye.
Ncuti Gatwa currently stars as Doctor Who. His previous work includes Barbie, Sex Education, and Masters of the Air. Andy Samberg has appeared in films like Palm Springs, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and more recently starred opposite Kate Winslet in Lee.
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