Sarah Michelle Gellar will reprise her role from the 1999 movie for the upcoming Cruel Intentions series on NBC, she announced on Instagram today. She starred opposite Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair in the original film.
According to Deadline, the Cruel Intentions series picks up more than 15 years after the movie left off. It follows the beautiful and cunning Kathryn Merteuil (Gellar) as she vies for control of Valmont International as well as the soul of Bash Casey (Taylor John Smith), the son of her brother, the late Sebastian Valmont (Phillippe), and Annette Hargrove (Witherspoon). Upon discovering his late father’s legacy in a hidden journal, Bash is introduced to a world of sex, money, power and corruption he never could have imagined.
Kathryn is a master manipulator who easily hides her self-serving machinations behind a facade of charm, poise and warmth. The woman behind the scandal involving Bash’s mother, Annette Hargrove, Kathryn is now married to the wealthy Pascal Barrett and spearheads an inspiring youth rehabilitation movement, as well as being involved in a local private school. The stepsister of Sebastian Valmont, Kathryn is privately shaken by the arrival of Sebastian’s son, Bash, and the re-appearance in her life of the girl she wronged years ago, Annette Hargrove Casey. A force of nature, Kathryn has many secrets in her life.
Also starring in in the pilot are Samantha Logan and Sophina Brown.
Roger Kumble, who wrote and directed the original film independently as well as its direct-to-video prequel Cruel Intentions 2, co-wrote the pilot with Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross. Neal Moritz and Original Film’s Pavun Shetty will executive produce through Sony Pictures Television.
