Cruel Intentions (pilot)

Cruel Intentions
Genre	Drama
Based on	Cruel Intentions by Roger Kumble Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Written by	Roger Kumble Lindsey Rosin Jordan Ross
Directed by	Roger Kumble
Starring	Sarah Michelle Gellar Taylor John Smith Peter Gallagher Coby Bell Samantha Logan Sophina Brown Nathalie Kelley Kate Levering Duane Henry Anne Winters Taylor Zakhar Perez
Music by	Ed Shearmur
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	1
Production
Executive producers	Becky Hartman Edwards Roger Kumble Neal H. Moritz Pavun Shetty Sarah Michelle Gellar
Editors	Jeff Granzow Robert Ivison
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	Original Film Sony Pictures Television
Related
Cruel Intentions

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.

The Cruel Intentions pilot was expected to debut in 2016, but NBC opted not to buy the series. It was directed and co-written by Kumble, with Neal H. Moritz, who produced the original film and sequels, serving as executive producers. It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, reprising her role of Kathryn Merteuil from the film. ^{[1] [2]}

The pilot was the second attempt to adapt the franchise as a television series after the 1999 Fox series that was canceled during filming and later retooled as the 2000 direct-to-video prequel film Cruel Intentions 2 . A third project, also titled Cruel Intentions , was given a series order at Amazon Prime Video and premiered in November 2024, but was canceled after one season.

Plot

The pilot is set seventeen years after the events of the film and sees Bash Casey, son of Sebastian Valmont and Annette Hargrove, discover his late father's journal. Upon discovering this he is thrown into a world of lies, sex and power. The potential series included the character of Kathryn Merteuil, Bash's step-aunt, who would try to gain power of Valmont International.

Cast and characters

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kathryn Merteuil. ^[3] Now sober and married to a wealthy man, she works for a youth rehabilitation program after putting the scandal of her youth behind her. Her life is disrupted however after the arrival of her step-nephew Bash.
• Taylor John Smith as Bash Casey, ^[4] son of Sebastian and Annette who was previously unaware of his father's wild history.
• Peter Gallagher as Edward Valmont, ^[5] the billionaire father to the late Sebastian Valmont. After confirming that Bash is truly his grandson he wastes no time welcoming him into a world of wealth and business. Gallagher replaces David McIlwraith, who portrayed the character in Cruel Intentions 2 .
• Coby Bell as Pascall Barrett, ^[6] husband to Kathryn and a top lawyer who plots with his wife to manipulate Bash.
• Samantha Logan as Cassidy Barrett, ^[7] Pascall's daughter and Kathryn's step-daughter.
• Sophina Brown as Naomi Donovan, ^[8] Pascal's ex-wife and Cassidy's mother who is an aspiring congresswoman.
• Nathalie Kelley as Carmen Castillo, ^[9] Kathryn's chief of staff and lover.
• Kate Levering as Annette Hargrove-Casey, mother to Bash who shares a history with Kathryn. Levering replaces Reese Witherspoon, who portrayed the character in the film.
• Duane Henry as Sullivan, Edward's bodyguard ^[10]
• Anne Winters as Valerie York, Cassidy's best friend.
• Taylor Zakhar Perez as Mateo De La Vega, a friend of Cassidy.

Production

The series pilot, a direct sequel to the 1999 film Cruel Intentions , was co-written by the film's writer-director Roger Kumble and Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross, who created Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical . Kumble directed the pilot, which he executive produced with the film's producer Neal H. Moritz. ^{[11] [12]}

In February 2016, producers were in talks with Gellar to reprise her role of Kathryn Merteuil from the film. ^[13] That month, Taylor John Smith and Samantha Logan were both cast, with Smith playing the male lead role of Bash Casey. ^[14] Gellar reached a deal with producers to join the show. ^[15]

Several months later, on October 31, NBC passed on the project, but Sony Pictures Television was shopping the pilot with other networks. ^{[16] [17]} During an interview in 2022, Gellar revealed that she was grateful that the series was not picked up by NBC, as she felt that a Cruel Intentions series was more suited for a streaming service and did not work as a network show. ^[18]

In 2021, a third adaptation of the franchise into a television series was announced by Amazon Studios. ^[19] The series premiered in November 2024 on Amazon Prime Video but was canceled after one season. ^[20]

References

1. Andreeva, Nellie (February 5, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions': Sarah Michelle Gellar Courted To Reprise Her Role In NBC Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
2. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (October 21, 2015). "'Cruel Intentions' TV Revival in the Works at NBC". Variety. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
3. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 26, 2016). "Sarah Michelle Gellar Reprising 'Cruel Intentions' Role in NBC Pilot". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
4. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 23, 2016). "NBC's 'Cruel Intentions' Pilot Casts Young Lead". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
5. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (March 14, 2016). "Pete Gallagher Cast in NBC's Cruel Intentions' Revival". Variety. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
6. Harp, Justin (March 4, 2016). "Ooh la la, Cruel Intentions TV show casts Burn Notice's Coby Bell as Kathryn's scheming husband". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
7. Webb Mitovich, Matt (February 23, 2016). "Cruel Intentions Pilot: American Crime Actor Cast as Sebastian's Son". TV Line. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
8. Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions': Sophina Brown To Co-Star In NBC Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
9. Petski, Denise (February 26, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions' Casts Nathalie Kelley; Michelle Mitchenor In 'Infamous'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
10. McLennan, Cindy (May 14, 2016). "Cruel Intentions: NBC May Still Order Series". TV Series Finale. United States. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
11. Andreeva, Nellie (October 21, 2015). "'Cruel Intentions' Follow-Up TV Series In Works At NBC With Film's Team & Musical Parody Duo". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 5, 2016.
12. Andreeva, Nellie (February 2, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions' Reboot Gets NBC Pilot Order". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 5, 2016.
13. Andreeva, Nellie (February 5, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions': Sarah Michelle Gellar Courted To Reprise Her Role In NBC Pilot". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 5, 2016.
14. Andreeva, Nellie (February 23, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions': Taylor John Smith Set As the Male Lead, Samantha Logan Cast". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 23, 2016.
15. Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2016). "Sarah Michelle Gellar To Reprise 'Cruel Intentions' Role In NBC Pilot". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 25, 2016.
16. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (October 31, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions' Not Moving Forward at NBC, Sony TV Shopping Reboot". Variety .
17. Andreeva, Nellie (October 31, 2016). "'Cruel Intentions' Not Going Forward At NBC, To Be Shopped Elsewhere By Sony". Deadline Hollywood .
18. Tinoco, Armando (September 18, 2022). "Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Is "Grateful" NBC Didn't Pick Up The 'Cruel Intentions' Reboot". Deadline Hollywood .
19. Goldberg, Lesley (October 1, 2021). "Cruel Intentions Update in the Works at Amazon's IMDb TV". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
20. 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.

External links

• Cruel Intentions at IMDb