Starz has delivered an early season two renewal order for their new period drama Dangerous Liaisons. The new series is a prequel to Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ classic novel, published in 1782, and centers around the meeting of Marquise de Merteuil (Alice Englert) and Vicomte de Valmont (Nicholas Denton).
The season one cast also includes Leslie Manville as Marquise de Merteuil, Kosar Ali as Victoire, Carice van Houten as Jacqueline de Montrachet, Hilton Pelser as Gabriel Carrè, and Fisayo Akinade as Chevalier de Saint-Jacques. Michael McElhatton plays Jean de Merteuil, Nathanael Saleh is Azolan, Colette Dalal Tchantcho is Ondine de Valmont, Hakeem Kae-Kazim is Majordome, Tom Wlaschiha plays Henri de Montrachet, and Paloma Faith is Florence de Regnier.
“Dangerous Liaisons is addictive, provocative, and beautifully rendered,” said Kathryn Busby, President, Original Programming at STARZ. “This prelude to the famed 18th-century novel illuminates pre-revolution Paris at its most decadent. We are confident that by the end of season one viewers will be craving more scheming and seduction.”
Harriet Warner created the series and serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Colin Callender (Playground), Tony Krantz (Flame Ventures), Scott Huff, and Christopher Hampton are on board as season two executive producers.
“We’re greatly appreciative to STARZ and Lionsgate for their ongoing support of the show. We’re very excited to share Harriet Warner’s brilliant vision for season two, which will see our world expand and the relationships between our characters deepen in thrilling, dangerous new ways,” said executive producer Colin Callender.
Season one will premiere on Starz on November 6, 2022. Production on the just-announced second season is expected to take place in Prague, Czech Republic in early 2023.
The Plot, Courtesy of Starz:
“Dangerous Liaisons is a bold prelude of Laclos’ classic 18th-century novel focusing on the origin story of how his iconic characters, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, met as passionate young lovers in Paris on the eve of the revolution. This modern take on a classic story takes audiences through wonder and terror, beauty and degradation, seduction and deception in pre-revolutionary Paris.
Driven to right the wrongs of their past, the young couple’s survival depends on their skills of seduction and manipulation of not only the French nobility but of each other. Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton portray the notorious lovers: Camille who is taken in by the current Marquise de Merteuil (Manville) navigates her own path in a world of men, using the power of secrets to take back control, and Valmont who will stop at nothing to regain his title that was recently taken from him.
Their on-again-off-again love story is the heart of the series. It’s not love… it’s war.”
