Amazon’s "Cruel Intentions" Gets Release Date

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled the official trailer and release date for the series adaptation of the cult 1999 movie "Cruel Intentions" that starred Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Selma Blair.

In the footage we see the focus of the series, the machinations of privileged step-siblings Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess), who run Greek life at Manchester College, an elite Washington, D.C., university. 

The pair find themselves in trouble after a hazing incident goes wrong, and attempt to lie, deceive and seduce their way out of bother.

The cast also includes Savannah Lee Smith, Sara Silva, Khobe Clarke, John Harlan Kim and Brooke Lena Johnson. Sean Patrick Thomas, who played Ronald Clifford in the original movie, plays Professor Chadwick in this version.

In a nod to the original movie, the trailer is set to a cover of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.”

"Cruel Intentions" hits Prime Video worldwide November 21.

The eight-episode series will serve as an update to the movie — which itself is based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ classic French novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". 

The Prime Video series is at least the third attempt to adapt Cruel Intentions for TV. Following the movie’s release, Fox ordered a spinoff series titled Manchester Prep — then scrapped it before it aired. Two completed episodes were re-edited (and some racier footage added) into the straight-to-video feature "Cruel Intentions 2" (2000).

NBC took a run at a Cruel Intentions series in 2015, developing a sequel set 15 years after the film that had Gellar reprising her role as Kathryn Merteuil. The network eventually passed on the show.

Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher serve as co-showrunners, writers and executive producers of the new series. 

Neal H. Moritz and Pavun Shetty of Original Film also executive produce along with Roger Kumble. Moritz produced the original film, which was written and directed by Kumble. Bruce Mellon, along with Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi of Iervolino & Bacardi Entertainment, are producers.

Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios and Original Film produced the series. Sony’s Columbia Pictures and Original backed the 1999 movie.