The small-screen continuation of the 1999 film "Cruel Intentions" just might be streamed online. The series received no series order in May, but that doesn't mean the project has been shelved.
"It was really a space issue," said NBC president Jennifer Salke, as quoted by TVLine. "We had a spot for a big, great soap, and This Is Us seemed to fit better. So we started looking for opportunities in midseason, possibly summer for the show. We [also] started talking about the OTT [streaming] platform that you heard was looming. So we right now we wanted to make sure we have the show, because I'm determined to find a place to put it."
Salke also said that the contractual options of the cast were extended by the network, explaining that if they had no intention of finding a way to release the series, then they "wouldn't have held that talent."
The roster of talented actors includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, who reprises her role as Kathryn Mertueuil; Kate Levering as Annette Hargrove (portrayed in the film by Reese Witherspoon); Taylor John Smith as Bash Casey, the son of Annette and Sebastian Valmont (played by Ryan Phillippe in the movie) and nephew of Kathryn; and Samantha Logan as Cassidy, Kathryn's stepdaughter.
Salke also remarked that there might be two versions of the series.
"I think there would be two versions of the show, and, of course, if it ends up on some alternative platform, we would have more leeway," she said. "But it is designed to be dishy and fun and sort of push the envelope as far as sexuality. It's not something we're inviting kids in to watch."
Fans will recall that the movie was about sexual manipulation, with Kathryn telling her step-brother Sebastian to seduce Cecille, but Sebastian wanted to seduce Annette with whom he fell in love with. Sebastian kept a journal of all that's happened, and he gave this to Annette before he died. Fast forward 15 years, the TV series will have Bash, Sebastian and Annette's son, discovering his late father's journal, which throws him into the world of power, sex, money, corruption, and manipulation.
NBC entertainment chairman Robert Gleenblatt said, according to a June report on TVLine, that "Cruel Intentions" is still in consideration and that they were still trying to figure it out. There has yet been no confirmation, but word is that the network is thinking of a possible summer release.
