The idea of Cruel Intentions being made into a series has floated around for years, and finally, Amazon has confirmed they’ve ordered the twisted romantic drama to series at Prime Video. Season one will consist of eight episodes and has I Know What You Did Last Summer‘s Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher on board as writers and executive producers.
The 1999 film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon was written and directed by Roger Kumble, and Kumble will be involved in the series as an executive producer. Neal H. Moritz produced the R-rated romantic drama and is on board the series as an executive producer.
Released on March 5, 1999, the sleeper hit grossed $76 million worldwide off a budget of just $10 million.
The season one cast includes Sarah Catherine Hook (First Kill), Zac Burgess (Totally Completely Fine), Savannah Lee Smith (Gossip Girl), Sara Silva (American Horror Stories), Khobe Clarke (Firefly Lane), John Harlan Kim (The Last Thing He Told Me), Brooke Lena Johnson (You), and Sean Patrick Thomas (Till). Claire Forlani, Nikki Crawford, Isabella Tagliati, Zeke Goodman, and Jon Tenney will appear in recurring roles.
“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,” stated 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.”
Prime Video offers this description of the series: “In this new adaptation, Cruel Intentions takes place at an elite Washington, D.C., 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.”
“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 will be produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios, and Original Film.
