Amazon announces cast for Cruel Intentions TV series
David Farnor | On 05, Dec 2023
Amazon Prime Video has officially ordered a TV series based on Cruel Intentions and unveiled the cast for the show.
Inspired by the iconic 90s film of the same name, the series is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios, and Original Film. The cast will include Sarah Catherine Hook (First Kill), Zac Burgess (Totally Completely Fine), Savannah Lee Smith (Gossip Girl), Sara Silva (American Horror Stories), Khobe Clarke (Firefly Lane, Yellowjackets), John Harlan Kim (The Last Thing He Told Me, 9-1-1), Brooke Lena Johnson (You), and Sean Patrick Thomas (Till). Claire Forlani, Nikki Crawford, Isabella Tagliati, Zeke Goodman and Jon Tenney are recurring.
In this new adaptation, Cruel Intentions takes place at an elite Washington, DC, college, where two ruthless step-siblings will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy. After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Panhellenic system at their school, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputation, even if that means seducing the daughter of the vice president of the United States.
“From the 90s cult-classic film to the 18th-century novel from which it was adapted, Cruel Intentions has captivated audiences with a story that transcends time,” said Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD originals, unscripted, and targeted programming, Amazon MGM Studios. “We are beyond thrilled to share the next chapter of Cruel Intentions’ intriguing interplay of deception, wit, and reckoning with Prime customers and couldn’t be more appreciative of the commitment, dedication, and talent from this entire team – our incredible cast, endlessly clever writers, led by Phoebe and Sara, our fantastic partners at Sony and Original Film, and the executives that led the way at Amazon MGM Studios.”
“We are so excited to get to work together to continue the legacy of Cruel Intentions, a film that remains beloved by so many – including us!“ said executive producers Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher. “We promise to make this next iteration as fun, irreverent, and boundary-pushing as the original, and are grateful to our partners at Original Film, Sony, and Amazon MGM Studios for trusting us to keep it Cruel.”
“Cruel Intentions defined an era and is still a centerpiece in popular culture. We are excited to have Phoebe and Sara bring this new adaptation to life, as this has been a passion project of ours since I got to Sony,” added Lauren Stein, Head of Creative, Sony Pictures Television. “We are grateful for our partners at Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and Original Film, who brought the movie to life over 20 years ago.”
Goodman (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Preacher) and Fisher (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Orange Crush) helm as the series writers and executive producers. Other executive producers will include Pavun Shetty (Original Film) as well as Neal H Moritz and Roger Kumble. Moritz and Kumble produced and wrote and directed the original movie respectively.
Cruel Intentions reboot in the works at IMDb TV
3rd October 2021
A reboot of Cruel Intentions is in the works at IMDb TV.
The VOD platform, which is operated by Amazon, is a free service that streams TV and movies with ads. Previously a US-only service, it launched this week in the UK as part of the Amazon Prime Video app and website – and, as it grows internationally, Amazon is still pushing to expand its library of IMDb TV originals.
Next on the list will be an updated take on the cult 199 film, which was based on the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe, it followed two wealthy step-siblings who manipulated their way through high school – and a wide array of bedrooms.
This new series, set in Washington DC, will again follow two step-siblings who will do anything to stay on top. After a brutal hazing system at their elite college, they take action to preserve their power and reputations – whatever it takes, including seducing the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.
The series is written by Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman (Preacher, Gossip Girl), with Fisher writing the pilot with Goodman supervising and the pair writing the whole series together.
It is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon Studios and Original Film, who previously collaborated on a pilot for a Cruel Intentions pilot in 2016 that was never ordered to series. Goodman – who has an overall deal with Sony TV – is no stranger to Amazon Studios, having written and exec-produced I Know What You Did Last Summer, which is coming to Amazon Prime Video later this month. It was on that project that Goodman met Fisher.
Neal H Moritz of Original Film, who produced the 1999 movie, is on board as executive producer, alongside Pavun Shetty, plus Andrea Iervolino and Monica Bacardi of Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment and Bruce Mellon.