Amazon have ordered a TV adaptation of the 1990 cult classic, Cruel Intentions. The series will be made up of eight episodes and air on Amazon Freevee, Amazon’s free streaming service. Although, reports suggest there is still a possibility of it being released on Prime Video.
The series will follow two step-siblings at an elite Washington D.C. University who are determined to maintain their positions amongst the Greek Life culture. When a hazing incident threatens to disrupt their station, they will do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, even if that entails seduction—and more specifically, seducing the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.
The original film was based on the 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Connections) by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. It was written and directed by Roger Kumble, starring the likes of Selma Blair, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon. With none of the cast set to reprise their roles, the Cruel Intentions TV adaptation will introduce new fans to the cult classic. And with the series going into development in October 2021 and production beginning in Toronto in early June of this year, fans will not have to wait long.
Previously, NBC had ordered a pilot episode, which would act as a sequel TV series to the original film, with Sarah Michelle Gellar set to reprise her original role. It would have taken place 16 years after the end of 1990 film. Unfortunately for fans, it wasn’t picked up by NBC, nor found a home elsewhere. Fox had also planned to release a prequel series called Manchester Prep in 1999, but it was scrapped before airing and three of its episodes were released as a Cruel Intentions 2 in 2001. Sony Pictures released Cruel Intentions 3 in 2004, and a jukebox musical based on the original film made its debut off-Broadway run in 2015.
In this adaptation, Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman are set to co-write the series, and Neal H. Moritz (the producer of the original film) and Pavun Shetty (the executive producer of the failed NBC pilot alongside Moritz) were originally set to executive produce. The latest reports state Andrea Iervolino and Monica Bacardi (of Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment) and Bruce Mellon are also set to executive produce.
Words by Avantika Singh
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