‘Cruel Intentions’ Sequel Remains In Contention At NBC As Cast Options Are Extended

There is encouraging news for Cruel Intentions fans — the options on the entire cast of NBC’s drama pilot have been extended. While the pilot — a sequel to the cult movie toplined by original star Sarah Michelle Gellar — was not picked up to series by NBC in May, it remained in consideration, possibly for a summer run.

I hear NBC remains very interested in picking up the project to series, asking for the cast option extensions, triggered by the leading studio on the show, Sony TV.

I hear that there had been incoming pickup interest from several outlets but the project remains at NBC, which has been behind. Additionally, the network and Sony TV, which co-produces Cruel Intentions with Universal TV, have a great relationship, with NBC picking up two new Sony TV drama series: Timeless and The Blacklist: Redemption to join the studio’s returning series The Blacklist.

During NBC’s upfront press call in May, NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt explained why Cruel Intentions did not make the cut.

“It goes under the heading of embarrassment of riches,” he said. “There’s just so many shows that we have scheduled or ordered.”

Greenblatt called the soapy Cruel Intentions “a bit of an outlier for us, because there’s no other show like it in our list of genres.” Still, “we like it, and we’re still discussing it and trying to figure it out,” he  said.

Written by Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross based on the cult 1999 movie, Cruel Intentions is set in present day and picks up more than 15 years after the movie left off. Kathryn Merteuil (Gellar) vies for control of Valmont International as well as the soul of Bash Casey, the son of her brother, the late Sebastian Valmont, and Annette Hargrove. 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.

Gellar stars alongside Taylor John Smith, Kate Levering, Samantha Logan, Sophina Brown, Coby Bell and Bryce Cass. Kumble exec produces with Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty and Becky Hartman Edwards who serves as showrunner.

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