1999’s Cruel Intentions is one of those films that not only encapsulates the year it was released but serves as the bridge of the 90s movie aesthetic into the new millennium – where a new era of pop icons began to rise and merge with the storytelling of classic works adapted for a modern-day audience. It helped Sarah Michelle Gellar of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer establish herself as a film actress.
Deadline reports that in February of 2016, NBC had ordered a pilot of a television adaptation of the teen drama before it was ultimately announced that they would not proceed with a series. The show would’ve been a sequel to the 1999 Roger Kumble film, and Gellar would be reprising her role in the pilot. The star, however, felt it just wasn’t working and was not only unaffected when the project had been scrapped but actually relieved.
Gellar explained,
That was a whole crazy time. 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 series was set 15 years after the events of the film, and Kathryn Merteuil, played once again by Sarah Michelle Gellar, is still trying to seize control of Valmont International. She also is still at odds with her late brother, Sabastian, played by Ryan Phillippe in the film, through his adult son Bash Casey as she now vies for his soul. Bash discovers his father’s legacy through his journal entries and enters himself into the world of money, sex, power, and corruption.
Previously, Fox tried capitalizing on the film through a prequel series called Manchester Prep, which had flopped. And when the show was canceled, they released three filmed episodes as a direct-to-video sequel to the film.
What do you think? Would you have liked to see a continuation?