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The only way to make any money in Hollywood today is to luck into a franchise you can run into the ground, but when you have to keep the same story going in perpetuity, it’s easy to write yourself into a corner. Sometimes, you have to take a few steps back to tell the story you want to tell. Sometimes, you have to step back until you body slam enough audience members that they’ve completely forgotten everything that’s come before.

5 Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith

George Lucas is the king of making it up as he goes along, previous events be damned, resulting most weirdly in Luke and Leia becoming siblings who have kissed. The most flat-out nonsense moment, however, is when Luke asks Leia in Return of the Jedi what she remembers of her biological mother, and she describes her as “beautiful,...

Prime Videos Cruel Intentions TV show introduces a new generation of wealthy and ruthless students, and it now has a confirmed major connection to the 1999 movie, but this actually hurts the TV show. Directed by Roger Kumble and based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, Cruel Intentions introduces the audience to wealthy step-siblings Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe), who make a bet for their entertainment: Sebastian has to seduce the new headmasters daughter, Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), and sleep with her.

If Sebastian achieves this, Kathryn will finally sleep with him, but if he fails, Kathryn will get his beloved vintage car. The Cruel Intentions TV show borrowed the same premise as the movie but with some important changes to the characters and their plans. The TV show follows step-siblings Caroline (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien (Zac Burgess), who also make a bet,...

[This story contains spoilers from the first season of Prime Video’s Cruel Intentions.]

If you were a young adult in the late ‘90s, you almost certainly knew Sean Patrick Thomas.

Before he was Jimmy James in the Barbershop franchise, spent four seasons as Detective Temple Page in CBS police drama The District or, more recently, portrayed Gene Mobley, partner of Mamie Till and father-figure to Emmett in Till, the sharp-jawed, warm-eyed actor had carved out his own corner of YA drama success.

During that time, he would star in films like Save the Last Dance and Halloween: Resurrection, roles that would follow his memorable turn as Ronald Clifford in Roger Kumble’s Cruel Intentions. Thomas took on the role of the music tutor to the rich, naive and virginal Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair), with whom he falls in love with before their relationship is sabotaged by the ruthless, scheming step-sibling duo of Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe...

Aside from the wicked appeal of racy teenage drama, one of the key hooks that made the original Cruel Intentions a cult classic was the allure and charm of the relationship dynamics among the lead trio played by Sarah Michelle Gellar (Kathryn Merteuil), Ryan Phillippe (Sebastian Valmont), and Reese Witherspoon (Annette Hargrove). Given the risqué nature of the narrative, without support from a competent cast and proper characterization, the movie could have gone either way, but fortunately, it fared well in the end. The same challenge was faced by the recently released Amazon Prime TV series adaptation of the same name, which followed a similar premise of sex, politics, and influence-oriented powerplay orchestrated by stepsibling duo Lucien and Caroline. Aside from the fact that a story like this shouldn’t have been stretched to an eight-episode series in the first place, the character writing and acting on this occasion feels...

Despite being part of the same franchise and having the same premise, Prime Videos Cruel Intentions TV show is very different from the 1999 movie of the same name. Directed by Roger Kumble and based on the 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Cruel Intentions follows step-siblings Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe), who make a bet for their entertainment that involves the daughter of their schools new headmaster, Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon). Cruel Intentions spawned a failed prequel and a sequel, and has now returned as a TV show.

The Cruel Intentions TV show centers on wealthy step-siblings Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess), who also get involved in a bet but for very different reasons than that between Kathryn and Sebastian. Parallel to that are Carolines plans to get Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith) to join her sorority,...

Note: The following story contains spoilers from “Cruel Intentions” Season 1, Episode 8.

The stars of “Cruel Intentions” were encouraged to bring a “fresh take” to the beloved characters in Prime Video’s TV adaptation — which was pretty easy for Zac Burgess and Savannah Lee Smith, who had never seen the 1999 classic.

“I haven’t seen the film — it was more of a creative choice, because I didn’t want to necessarily mimic anything,” Burgess told TheWrap, with Smith echoing her costar, saying “I actually didn’t watch the original prior to filming because I didn’t want too much influence — I wanted to create Annie in a new way and look at it with fresh eyes, because it is a reimagining.”

While Burgess and Smith didn’t have the portrayals of Ryan Phillippe’s Sebastian Valmont — whose character is adapted to Burgess’ Lucien Belmont — nor Reese Witherspoon’s Annette Hargrove — a...

Warning: spoilers for the Cruel Intentions TV show.

Prime Videos Cruel Intentions TV show has a direct connection to the 1999 movie of the same name, but it completely wasted this key link. Directed by Roger Kumble and based on the 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Cruel Intentions introduced the audience to wealthy step-siblings Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe), who make a bet for their own amusement. As Sebastian is known for seducing and manipulating women, he wants a challenge and who better than Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), the school headmasters daughter who is against sex without love.

If Sebastian fails to seduce Annette, Kathryn gets his beloved vintage car, but if he wins, Kathryn will finally have sex with him. After a failed prequel and a sequel, Cruel Intentions is now back as a TV series on Prime Video. The Cruel Intentions...

“Cruel Intentions” is getting a new life in Prime Video’s TV series adaptation, which takes the twisted tale to collegiate Greek life.

Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess star as Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont, respectively, step siblings who strike up a malicious deal for Lucien to seduce the VP’s daughter, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), who Caroline sees as her ticket to make her sorority untouchable amid backlash for a controversial hazing incident.

The main characters follow closely in the footsteps of the 1999 movie, Selma Blair’s Cecile Caldwell transforming into Sara Silva’s CeCe Carroway. Sean Patrick Thomas also reprises his role from the movie as CeCe’s love interest, but with more of an age difference this time.

For a full breakdown of the “Cruel Intentions” cast and where you might have seen them before, see below.

Prime Video

Sarah Catherine Hook as Caroline Merteuil...

Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television partied like it was 1999 on Tuesday for the premiere of its Cruel Intentions reimagining in Los Angeles.

Set at the fictional Manchester College in Washington D.C., co-creators Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher explained to Deadline what inspired the setting for their update of the ’99 Roger Kumble-helmed teen film and the 1782 French novel Dangerous Liaisons, and how they continued to “focus on that sexiness” from its source materials.

“Greek Life was a place that we hadn’t really seen as a royal court, as a place that has all of these kinds of rites and rituals in modern society still, but that still feels sort of antiquated” said Goodman. “In the best way — we love our Greeks. But I think we really wanted that kind of rarified world where reputation means everything and you’re in or you’re out, and all...

The original 1999 Cruel Intentions film was a massive hit. It launched the careers of Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ryan Phillippe. The cult classic was adapted from the classic novel Dangerous Liaisons.

It featured the complicated love triangle between manipulative step-siblings Kathryn Merteull and Sebastian Valmont when they wager if Sebastian will have sex with the virginal Annette Hargrove.

Hollywood has tried repeatedly to recreate the success of the original film. However, its sequels have failed, and a television adaptation has never been completed until now.

(Amazon MGM Studios)

The original film debuted over 25 years ago, and on November 21, Prime Video will release a new and modernized adaptation.

While not every film should be rebooted, this was a fun one. They expanded the characters’ roles and personalities, added family drama, and updated the story.

The new version stars Sarah Catherine Hook as Caroline Merteuil, Zac Burgess as Lucien Belmont,...

Fans of 1999's Cruel Intentions will see a familiar face in the new Prime Video series inspired by the film, but he will be taking on a completely new role in this iteration. A new Cruel Intentions is set to premiere on the streamer and the series executive producers are explaining why actor Sean Patrick Thomas, who co-starred in the film version as Ronald Clifford, had to take on the new character of Professor Chadwick in their tale of seduction, backstabbing and beautiful people doing very ugly things.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunners Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher revealed why Thomas won't be playing the same character he portrayed in the original film. Goodman states it's because they weren't making a straight remake of the movie, and went on to say, "To then bring that character into our new world would've been confusing." If anything, it seems like...

Quick Links 'Cruel Intentions' Was a Fan-Favorite Teen Drama Classic Multiple 'Cruel Intentions' TV Adaptations Crash and Burn Prime Video Gets a 'Cruel Intentions' TV Show Right 25 Years Later

Widely regarded as one of the best teen dramas of the '90s and a certified cult classic hit, the delightfully wicked Cruel Intentions captivated audiences all across the world with the sensational performances of its talented lead trio Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Ryan Phillippe, serving as a modern adaptation of the classic novel Les Liaisons dangereuses.

The silver screen staple follows the complicated love triangle that forms between the wealthy and manipulative step-siblings Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil as the troublemaking teens set their sights on the virginal Annette Hargrove after waging a dangerous bet. A massive commercial success that sparked a major pop culture moment, Cruel Intentions led to Hollywood producers trying to replicate the impact of the original,...

Cruel Intentions is a 1990s cinema staple. The sensual and steamy romantic drama featured the talents of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon and followed the wealthy and manipulative step-siblings Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastian Valmont as they devised a bet in which the notorious playboy must try and woo the prudish Annette Hargrove. The film proved to be a knockout with audiences and grossed over $75 million while becoming a celebrated hit of the decade.

After countless setbacks and hurdles, a long-awaited TV adaptation of both the '99 hit and Pierre Choderlos de Laclos novel is finally set to make its exciting premiere on Prime Video on November 21, 2024, and will instead take place on a Washington D.C. campus where a new spellbinding love triangle will emerge. Let's take a look at how the series will relate to the original film, and explore who (if any) of the film's...

It’s going to be a cruel (cruel) autumn on Amazon Prime Video.

On Thursday, Prime Video debuted what it called the “enticing” (ew) trailer and premiere date for its “Cruel Intentions” series. All eight episodes will debut on November 21 in the more than 240 countries and territories worldwide in which Amazon Prime Video is available. So, ah, have a super weird family Thanksgiving everyone!

The “Cruel Intentions” series comes 25 years after the iconic film of the same name. Also of the same (or at least similar) names are its “new class of cruel characters,” in Prime Video’s words.

Zac Burgess plays Lucien Belmont, essentially the role Ryan Phillippe played in the 1999 film. Sarah Catherine Hook plays Caroline Merteuil; in the movie, Sarah Michelle Gellar was Kathryn Merteuil.

Savannah Lee Smith plays Annie Grover, the new Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon). Oh come on.

Sara Silva plays Cece Carroway; Selma Blair...

Selma Blair’s teen son Arthur has crossed a major first off his list: he’s finally watched one of his mom’s movie’s, something Blair told People she’s tried — and failed — to get him to do for years. Unfortunately, she added, the 13-year-old watched “Cruel Intentions.”

Blair explained, “I mean, I’ve tried, he’s never watched. But with a girl, he’ll watch ‘Cruel Intentions,’ and I was like, ‘Oh dear.'”

Arthur also mimicked an explicit gesture that her character performed in the movie. “He’s like, ‘Mom, what was that?’ Because my character Cecile does it. It was naughty. It was naughty, is my point.”

Ultimately, she continued, her son liked the film.

The 1999 teen drama also starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon in a young adult retelling of the 1782 novel “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” Phillippe played Sebastian Valmont, a New York...

Hollywood often marvels at the rise of stars who seemingly emerge overnight, and one such celebrated actor whose career once skyrocketed, is the charismatic icon Keanu Reeves. Beginning his entertainment journey from promising actor to beloved heartthrob, Reeves cemented his place in the industry with career-defining roles in The Matrix and Sandra Bullock’s Speed.

Keanu Reeves in a still from Speed | 20th Century Studios

However, long before his breakout moment and his subsequent roles that solidified his status and earned him a devoted fan base, Keanu Reeves’ potential was recognized by Michelle Pfeiffer, who had a keen eye for talent. Working with Reeves in Stephen Frears’ 1988 hit Dangerous Liaisons, the director revealed recently on how Pfeiffer had identified the actor’s future stardom.

Keanu Reeves’ Rise to Stardom From Breakout Role to Iconic Status

Beginning his career by making his first professional appearance in a 1984 episode of the comedy series Hangin’ In,...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Prey (2024).

Prey is a 2024 action-thriller with a cast of mostly up-and-coming actors and with a few established names. The movie follows a Christian missionary couple who must survive after a plane crash in the Ngala Reserve. Despite its mediocre plot, the cast's performances garnered critical praise.

The 2024 action-thriller movie Prey includes mostly up-and-coming actors with a few established names rounding out the cast. The 2024 film follows a Christian missionary couple named Andrew and Sue who get ousted from the Kalahari Desert. When the flee, they get into a dangerous plane crash with other passengers, all of whom must try to survive the environment and lions. Prey has initial mid-to-low scores from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes with a handful of five-star reviews skewing the score high.

While the plot of Prey is admittedly mediocre, one of the movies strengths is the cast, who brings the characters to life.

If the golden era of the high school movie was the 1980s, packed with John Hughes’ tales of wistful outsider girls and horny nerds, then mid-late ‘90s was the reprise. This was the era of Valley Girls (Clueless), the make-over movie, and of course modern updates of classic literature. Cruel Intentions fits into this category and takes it to the next level. It’s a teen high school movie full of shagging and spitefulness which has genuine consequences and treats its characters like adults, while allowing them the naivety of youth. It’s 25 years old, and it’s still sexy as fuck.

Based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ which was filmed memorably as 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons, starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer, Cruel Intentions had wonderfully salacious material to work with but big shoes to fill.

Taking the setting from pre-Revolution France...

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Saltburn is one of the most scandalizing movies of the year. Everyone seems to either love it or hate it, from critics to audiences alike. It follows Oliver Quick as he spends a summer at his wealthy classmate Felix's beautiful estate. Oliver's adoration of his friend quickly turns to obsession. As it does, terrible...

Prime Video’s forthcoming Cruel Intentions adaptation has fleshed out its cast following the exits of two previously announced stars.

Savannah Lee Smith (Gossip Girl) and Khobe Clarke (Firefly Lane) have officially joined as series regulars, while Claire Forlani (CSI: NY), Nikki Crawford (9-1-1), Isabella Tagliati (Scuba) and Zeke Goodman (I Know What You Did Last Summer) are set to recur. Forlani is replacing Laura Benanti who exited the project in June. Myra Molloy is also no longer on the roster.

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Cruel Intentions is a stylish, successful movie with a talented cast and a clever script, earning over $75 million worldwide. The actors who starred in the film, such as Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon, went on to have successful careers in Hollywood. The film's impact is still felt today, with actors like Selma Blair and Joshua Jackson continuing to appear in films and TV shows, and even a television reboot in the works.

The seductive teen drama Cruel Intentions was released in 1999 with a cast full of actors who have since achieved varying degrees of fame in Hollywood. Cruel Intentions is a modern take on Les Liaisons dangereuses, a 1782 novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The film tells the story of Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillipe), two wealthy step-siblings from the Upper East Side who make a wager: if Sebastian can bed Annette...

The main cast for Prime Video's Cruel Intentions television series, based on the Sarah Michelle Gellar movie of the same name, has been announced.

According to Variety, the primary stars include Sarah Catherine Hook, who will play Caroline. Zac Burgess has been cast as Lucien, while Khobe Clarke will portray Scott. Brooke Lena Johnson takes on the role of Beatrice. Sara Silva has been cast as CeCe. Sean Patrick Thomas will play Professor Chadwick. John Harlan Kim has been cast as Blaise, and Myra Molloy will portray Annie. Recurring guest stars include Laura Benanti, who will appear in a recurring guest role as Caroline’s mother, Claudia, and Jon Tenney as U.S. Congressman Russell.

Related: Sarah Michelle Gellar Had an Overly Handsy Crewmember Fired From Wolf Pack

The Cruel Intentions series received an order for eight episodes in early April, and the show was expected to debut on Amazon’s free streaming service,...

Cruel Intentions‘ long and torturous journey to the small screen was not all for naught.

TVLine has confirmed exclusively that Amazon has placed an eight-episode series order for the long-gestating TV adaptation of the 1999 film. Production is set to get underway in early June in Toronto.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar is glad that NBC passed on a TV series based on her 1999 film “Cruel Intentions.”

The actress discussed the reboot during a recent interview with The New York Times. The pilot was ordered in February 2016, but the network had passed on the series by October of the same year. Gellar would have reprised her iconic role as the manipulative Kathryn Merteuil.

But, ultimately, she agreed that the series wasn’t a fit for network television.

“Nothing against NBC, but ‘Cruel Intentions’ is straight streaming,” she said. “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.”

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Despite scoring a pilot order and coming very close to a series order, NBC's planned Cruel Intentions reboot did not see the light of day.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was set to return as Kathryn Merteuil for the first time since 1999, is speaking out about the project.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Gellar said that she was grateful the network killed the project before it got to see the light of day.

“I don’t know. That was a whole crazy time,” she said of the failed project.

“Nothing against NBC, but Cruel Intentions is straight streaming," Gellar elaborated.

"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," Gellar revealed.

At the time of the pilot pickup in...

Sarah Michelle Gellar is opening up about the Cruel Intentions reboot NBC passed on and why she’s grateful the pilot was not picked up to series.

The peacock network gave it a pilot order in February 2016 but announced in October of that same year that it was not moving forward with the show. Gellar had signed on to reprise her role of Kathryn Merteuil but ultimately felt the new take didn’t live up to the 1999 film.

“That was a whole crazy time,” she told the New York Times. “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 Cruel Intentions reboot would’ve taken place more than 15 years after the film left...

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Sarah Michelle Gellar is “grateful” that the NBC TV reboot of Cruel Intentions never got off the ground, sharing that she believes it’s better suited for streaming than a broadcast network.

In an interview with The New York Times to promote her new film, Netflix’s Do Revenge, Gellar spoke about dipping her toe back into acting, how her character in the movie is a grown-up version of her Cruel Intentions character Kathryn Merteuil and why she hasn’t spoken about negative experiences she had as a young woman in Hollywood.

Speaking about her time on the NBC series, which got a pilot order in February 2016 before being shelved in October of that same year, Gellar said the network and concept weren’t a good fit.

“I don’t know. That was a whole crazy time,” the actress and Wolf Pack executive producer said.

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A series adaptation of the 1999 film Cruel Intentions is in the works.

Nearly five years after NBC passed on a Cruel Intentions sequel series, Amazon’s free streaming service IMDb TV is developing a new take on the original movie.

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Set in Washington,...

Cruel Intentions (1999) is the third film adaptation of the French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The original story takes place in 18th century France and revolves around two romantic rivals who revel in manipulating others using sex, secrets and anything else at their disposal. Their motivations vary from revenge to sheer entertainment. Written and directed by Richard Kumble, Cruel Intentions is a modern take on the original story. The film takes place among the upper echelon of New York society, and the story's two antagonists, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) are students at an exclusive private prep school.

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When it comes to teen films in the '90s, Cruel Intentions steps away from the sophomoric humor of other movies in the genre like Can't Hardly Wait, American Pie, She's All That and...