Everyone’s favourite low-key incest movie, Cruel Intentions, is being turned into a TV show and I hope some of the original cast make a cameo.
The movie Cruel Intentions is about two step-siblings who have mad sexual chemistry (hence the incest comment) played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillipe who make a bet that Sebastian (Phillipe) can’t seduce the school headmaster’s pure daughter, Annette (Reece Witherspoon). Of course, the plot thickens when Sebastian develops real feelings for Annette and funnily enough those feelings translated IRL too as Philipe and Witherspoon share two kids together.
The movie is kind of fucked up, but it’s oozing with 90s nostalgia — from the heart-throb cast to the incredible soundtrack — it’s a staple of the time. I still can’t listen to ‘Praise You’ by Fat Boy Slim without instantly thinking of this movie. Also, Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions was 100% my sexual awakening.
According to Deadline, the new incarnation of Cruel Intentions (heavily based on the novel es Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos) will explore the lives of two step-siblings at an elite Washington D.C college. After a hazing incident (a college frat tradition of humiliating a freshman) the siblings try to regain their reputation by seducing the Vice President of America’s daughter.
It’s an interesting twist on the original movie which was set at a high school. I’m also really curious about how they’ll incorporate the college frat element into it. As an Australian, I’m pretty naive when it comes to college campus life, but I do know that they can get extremely out-of-hand to the point where some students have sadly lost their lives.
The show will be launched on Amazon’s premium free streaming service, IMDb TV and will be written by Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman.
I’m looking forward to watching it, but reluctant considering the track record of streaming services and modernising 90s classics. Just look at how Netflix butchered the She’s All That remake?
