According to TVLine, Amazon has given an eight-episode order for a TV series based on Cruel Intentions, a cult classic which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair.
The original Cruel Intentions movie was released in 1999 as a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses. The TV series will be set in Washington, D.C. and will follow “two ruthless step-siblings who will do anything to stay at the top of the Greek Life hierarchy at their elite college. When a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Panhellenic system, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputations… including seducing the daughter of the U.S. vice president.” The series has been in development at Freevee, which is Amazon’s free streaming service, but TVline’s report claims that it’s possible it could make the leap to Prime Video when all is said and done. Production on the Cruel Intentions TV series is expected to kick off later this month in Toronto.
If a Cruel Intentions TV series sounds familiar to you, then you’ve got a better memory than me. Back in 2015, NBC gave a pilot order to a sequel series which would have taken place sixteen years after the events of the original movie. Sarah Michelle Gellar was attached to return as Kathryn Merteuil, but the network ultimately didn’t move ahead with the series. Gellar later admitted that she was grateful that the series wasn’t picked up. “That was a whole crazy time,” Gellar said. “Nothing against NBC, but Cruel Intentions is straight streaming. On the first day, I was like, ‘This isn’t working.’ It’s just not a network show. And if it is a network show, it’s not my Cruel Intentions. So, I was actually grateful.” The actress isn’t involved in this latest Cruel Intentions project.
The series first went into development in October 2021 with Phoebe Fisher (Euphoria) and Sara Goodman (Gossip Girl) writing the pilot. Original producer Neal H. Moritz is set to serve as an executive producer on the new series.
Are you down for a new Cruel Intentions TV series?