NBC has ordered a pilot that picks up more than 15 years from where the 1999 film Cruel Intentions left off. The series will follow the drama surrounding the beautiful and cunning Kathryn Merteuil (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the movie) as she vies for control of Valmont International as well as the soul of Bash Casey, the son of her stepbrother Sebastian and Annette Hargrove — who were played by Ryan Philippe and Reese Witherspoon. The pilot description also goes on to say that upon discovering his late father’s legacy hidden in a journal, Bash is introduced to a world of sex, money, power and corruption he never could have imagined.
According to Deadline on Friday (Feb. 5) night, Gellar has been approached to star in the series and is reading the script.
Attached to the pilot are writer-director Roger Kumble (who adapted it from Les liasons dangereuses) and Neal H. Mortiz. The pair are joined by Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross, who staged a musical parody of the hit film last year in Los Angeles. Sony, which produced the film, would also produce the series for NBC.
Us Weekly caught up with Sarah Michelle Gellar when she hosted Swiffer’s “Yes to the Mess” event in New York City this past week (presumably before being approached by NBC or Sony). Gellar told the outlet “I think its awesome. I think they are so many great stories to tell. Jordan [Ross] and Lindsey [Rosin] did a great job with the Cruel Intentions musical – it was phenomenal. Roger Kumble is at the helm, and anything Roger does is great. And they are great characters, so why shouldn’t their story be told?” When asked if she could reprise her famous role, the actress said “I don’t know. Never say never.”
This isn’t the first Cruel Intentions TV project. In 2000 Fox ordered a prequel called Manchester Prep starring Robin Dunne and Amy Adams. While the series was picked up, it failed to make it to air. Instead it was repackaged as the straight-to-video film Cruel Intentions 2.