Cruel Intentions (TV series)

Last updated
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions (TV series).jpg
Genre Drama
Created by
  • Phoebe Fisher
  • Sara Goodman
Based on Cruel Intentions
by Roger Kumble
Les Liaisons dangereuses
by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Starring
Music by Jeff Cardoni
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Jess Burkle
  • Stefan Steen
  • Sheila Phillips
Production locations Toronto, Ontario
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time39–49 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Amazon Prime Video
ReleaseNovember 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)

Cruel Intentions is an American television series created by Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman, and produced by Original Film, Sony Pictures Television, and Amazon MGM Studios for Amazon Prime Video. Part of the franchise of the same name, it is based on the 1999 film by Roger Kumble, which in turn was a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses . [1]

Contents

The series, set in a Washington D.C college among rich students, follows two manipulative step siblings who are ready to do anything to maintain their status. It features a cast led by Sarah Catherine Hook, Zac Burgess, and Savannah Lee Smith.

Plan for a television adaptation of the film started in 1999 at Fox with a prequel series that was later retooled as the 2000 direct-to-video film Cruel Intentions 2 following its cancellation due to creative concerns. In 2015, NBC picked up a television pilot for a continuation of the film's storyline with Sarah Michelle Gellar returning but later passed on the project. Amazon announced a new project's development for Amazon Freevee in 2021, with Neal H. Moritz returning as an executive producer. It was given a series order in April 2023, and moved to Prime Video several months later. Filming took place in Toronto and began in June 2023.

Cruel Intentions premiered on Amazon Prime Video on November 21, 2024 to generally negative reviews.

Premise

Two step siblings at a Washington D.C. college have worked hard climbing the Greek life social ladder on campus. After a hazing incident goes wrong, however, the two will do anything it takes to maintain the status they have achieved and set their sights on seducing the Vice President's daughter. [2]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Alpha" Adam Arkin Teleplay by: Phoebe Fisher
Story by: Phoebe Fisher & Sara Goodman
November 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)
2"Beta" Nick Copus Teleplay by: Phoebe Fisher
Story by: Phoebe Fisher & Sara Goodman
November 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)
3"Gamma"Nick CopusNicholas StrainNovember 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)
4"Delta"Pippa BiancoChaconne Martin-BerkowiczNovember 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)
5"Epsilon"Pippa BiancoDes MoranNovember 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)
6"Zeta"Nick CopusValerie ArmstrongNovember 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)
7"Eta" Iain B. MacDonald Jess BurkleNovember 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)
8"Theta"Iain B. MacDonaldPhoebe Fisher & Sara GoodmanNovember 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)

Production

Development

In 2015, NBC picked up a television pilot for a continuation of the 1999 film Cruel Intentions with Sarah Michelle Gellar returning but later passed on the project. Following that, Sony Pictures Television announced that the project will either be shopped to other networks or completely redeveloped. [4] [5] Amazon Studios announced that a new project was being developed in October 2021. [6]

It received a series order, and filming was set to begin in April 2023. The series is developed by Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman who are set to executive produce alongside Neal H. Moritz. [7] Upon the main cast announcement, Pavun Shetty, Andrea Iervolino, Monica Bacardi, and Bruce Mellon were added as executive producers. Original Film, Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, and Amazon MGM Studios are producing the series. [2] Eight episodes were ordered for Amazon Prime Video instead of Amazon Freevee. [8]

Casting

In June 2023, Sarah Catherine Hook, Zac Burgess, Khobe Clarke, Brooke Lena Johnson, Sara Silva, John Harlan Kim, and Myra Molloy joined the starring cast with Sean Patrick Thomas as Professor Chadwick, having previously appeared in the original film as Ronald Clifford. The recurring cast includes Laura Benanti and Jon Tenney. [2] Additional recurring members announced in December 2023 were Claire Forlani, Nikki Crawford, Isabella Tagliati, and Zeke Goodman. [8]

Filming

The series began shooting in June 2023 in Toronto. [9] [10]

Release

The series was released on November 21, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video. [11]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 38% approval rating with an average rating of 5.5/10, based on 13 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Neither as fun or transgressive as the original Cruel Intentions, this television adaptation doesn't cut deep enough to make much of an impression." [12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 38 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dangerous Liaisons</i> 1988 film by Stephen Frears

Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play Les Liaisons dangereuses, itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the same name by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. It stars Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, Peter Capaldi and Keanu Reeves.

<i>Cruel Intentions</i> 1999 film by Roger Kumble

Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble, and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film, set in New York City among rich high schoolers, is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses.

<i>Les Liaisons dangereuses</i> 1782 epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782.

The Dangerous Liaisons is an opera in two acts and eight scenes, with music by Conrad Susa to an English libretto by Philip Littell. It is based on the 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The opera has set numbers with recitative and spoken dialog. It is set in France in the 18th century. The opera received its first performance by the San Francisco Opera on 10 September 1994, with stage direction by Colin Graham and Donald Runnicles as the conductor. The world-premiere cast included Thomas Hampson as Valmont, Frederica von Stade as Merteuil, David Hobson as Chevalier de Danceny, Renée Fleming as Tourvel and Mary Mills as Cécile de Volanges. The opera was performed at Washington Opera in March 1998. It was also aired on the American PBS television network's Great Performances, a video recording of which was also made. Albany Records released an audio recording of a performance by Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater in 2016.

<i>Valmont</i> (film) 1989 film by Miloš Forman

Valmont is a 1989 romantic drama film directed by Miloš Forman and starring Colin Firth, Annette Bening, and Meg Tilly. Based on the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos, and adapted for the screen by Jean-Claude Carrière, the film is about a scheming widow (Merteuil) who bets her ex-lover (Valmont) that he cannot corrupt a recently married honorable woman (Tourvel). During the process of seducing the married woman, Valmont ends up falling in love with her. Earlier, Merteuil learns her secret lover (Gercourt) has discarded her and is about to marry her cousin's daughter- the virginal 15 year old Cécile. As revenge, the jilted Merteuil employs Valmont to seduce Cécile before her marriage to Gercourt.

<i>Cruel Intentions 2</i> 2000 film by Roger Kumble

Cruel Intentions 2 is a 2000 American comedy drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble, and starring Robin Dunne, Sarah Thompson, Keri Lynn Pratt, and Amy Adams. It is a prequel to Cruel Intentions (1999) and the second film in the franchise of the same name, and was released direct-to-video on March 13, 2001. Both films are based on Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristina Anapau</span> American actress and writer

Kristina Elizabeth Anapau Roper, better known as Kristina Anapau, is an American actress and writer. She is known for her roles as Maurella on the HBO series True Blood and as Galina in the 2010 film Black Swan. She also portrayed Cassidy Merteuil in Cruel Intentions 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathalie Kelley</span> Peruvian-Australian actress

Nathalie Kelley is a Peruvian-Australian actress, known for her role as Neela in the 2006 action film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and for her roles in various television series including Body of Proof (2011–2012), Unreal (2015), The Vampire Diaries (2016–2017), Dynasty (2017–2018) and The Baker and the Beauty (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn Merteuil</span> Fictional character

Kathryn Merteuil is a fictional character who appears in Cruel Intentions and Cruel Intentions 2, portrayed by actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amy Adams, respectively. Based on the Marquise de Merteuil in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, Kathryn serves as the primary antagonist of the series.

<i>Les Liaisons dangereuses</i> (miniseries) 2003 multi-national TV series or program

Les Liaisons dangereuses is a 2003 French television mini-series directed by Josée Dayan starring Catherine Deneuve, Rupert Everett, Nastassja Kinski and Leelee Sobieski. It is based on the classic 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.

Cruel Intentions is an unaired television pilot produced by Original Film and Sony Pictures Television for NBC. Part of the franchise of the same name, the pilot serves as a direct sequel to the 1999 film by Roger Kumble, which is based on the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.

<i>Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical</i> 2015 American jukebox musical

Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical, known during its off-Broadway run as Cruel Intentions: The Musical, is a 2015 American jukebox musical based on the 1999 film Cruel Intentions, with a score made up of hit songs from the 1990s. The musical's book is by Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross Schindler; Kumble was the writer and director of the original film. The film Cruel Intentions is itself a modern-day telling of the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.

<i>American Rust</i> (TV series) American television drama series

American Rust is an American crime drama television series created by Dan Futterman based on the 2009 novel by Philipp Meyer. The series premiered on September 12, 2021, on Showtime. In January 2022, the series was canceled after one season by Showtime. In June 2022, the series was revived for a second season by Amazon Freevee. The second season was released on March 28, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video. In July 2024, the series was once again canceled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon Freevee</span> American streaming service by Amazon

Amazon Freevee is an American ad-supported video-on-demand (VOD) streaming service owned by Amazon, with original and licensed programming.

<i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> (TV series) 2021 American teen horror television series

I Know What You Did Last Summer is an American teen slasher television series based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. It was adapted for Amazon Prime Video by Sara Goodman and is produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios, in association with Original Film, Mandalay Television and Atomic Monster. Part of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, the series is a modern take on the original novel and follows a group of friends stalked by a brutal killer one year after covering up a car accident in which they killed someone. It features a cast led by Madison Iseman, Brianne Tju, Ezekiel Goodman, Ashley Moore, and Sebastian Amoruso, and also stars Bill Heck, Fiona Rene, Cassie Beck, and Brooke Bloom.

<i>The Summer I Turned Pretty</i> (TV series) American drama television series

The Summer I Turned Pretty is an American coming-of-age romantic drama television series created by author Jenny Han for Amazon Prime Video, and it is based on her novel trilogy of the same name. Lola Tung (Belly) stars as a teenager involved in a love triangle with two brothers played by Christopher Briney (Conrad) and Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah).

Sarah Catherine Hook is an American actress and singer. She has starred in the film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), and the television series First Kill (2022) and Cruel Intentions (2024).

<i>Cruel Intentions</i> (franchise) Drama media franchise

Cruel Intentions is an American drama media franchise owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and consisting of three feature films and a television series. It is based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, with all installments being modern retelling of the story.

Zac Burgess is an Australian actor. He began acting in 2018 in the short film Bring Me Back. He starred in the Australian television series One Night (2023), and in the limited Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe (2024). In 2024, he starred as Lucien Belmont in the Amazon Prime Video series Cruel Intentions, based on the 1999 film of the same name.

References

  1. Kaufman, Anna. "The 'Cruel Intentions' reboot gets its steamy first trailer: Watch". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  2. 1 2 3 Otterson, Joe (June 1, 2023). "Cruel Intentions Series at Amazon Sets Main Cast (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "'Cruel Intentions' Series Merges 1999 Film's Salacious Step-Sibling Love Triangle with Modern-Day Greek Life: See the Trailer". People.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  4. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (31 October 2016). "'Cruel Intentions' Not Moving Forward at NBC, Sony TV Shopping Reboot".
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (31 October 2016). "'Cruel Intentions' Not Going Forward At NBC, To Be Shopped Elsewhere By Sony".
  6. Goldberg, Lesley (October 1, 2021). "Cruel Intentions Update in the Works at Amazon's IMDb TV". The Hollywood Reporter . PMRC. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  7. Ausiello, Michael (April 4, 2023). "Cruel Intentions TV Adaptation Ordered to Series (Finally!) at Amazon". TVLine . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Petski, Denise (December 4, 2023). "Cruel Intentions Series Order Confirmed At Prime Video; Full Cast Set". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation.
  9. Rajput, Priyanca (April 28, 2023). "Cruel Intentions TV adaptation sets summer Toronto shoot". KFTV.com . Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  10. "What's Shooting". ACTRA Toronto. ACTRA . Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  11. Rahman, Abid (October 24, 2024). "Amazon's 'Cruel Intentions' Series Gets First Trailer, Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  12. "Cruel Intentions: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  13. "Cruel Intentions: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved November 21, 2024.