Cruel Intentions is an American drama media franchise owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and consisting of three feature films and a television series. It is based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, with all installments being modern retellings of the story.
Films Films U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Producer(s) Cruel Intentions Roger Kumble Neal H. Moritz Cruel Intentions 2 Cruel Intentions 3 Scott Ziehl Rhett Reese
Cruel Intentions (1999)
In New York City, wealthy teenager Sebastian Valmont regularly manipulates and seduces women, but wants to find someone who poses a challenge to his charm. He settles on Annette Hargrove—the daughter of his new school headmaster—who is staunchly opposed to sex before falling in love. Sebastian and his equally manipulative stepsister, the intelligent and popular Kathryn Merteuil, agree to a bet: if Sebastian fails to seduce Annette then Kathryn gets his vintage Jaguar XK140; if he wins Kathryn will finally have sex with him.
Kathryn also tries to recruit Sebastian into her own scheme to take revenge on her ex-boyfriend Court Reynolds, who left her because of her promiscuity and began dating the naive and innocent Cecile Caldwell.
Cruel Intentions 2 (2000)
Cruel Intentions 2 serves as a prequel to the first film.
Troublemaker student Sebastian Valmont is transferring to Manchester Prep following his father's new marriage to a wealthy divorcée. Upon his arrival in New York City, Sebastian discovers the wealth of his new family and first meets his deceitful and determined stepsister Kathryn Merteuil.
Cruel Intentions 3 (2004)
Jason Argyle and Patrick Bates are roommates at an exclusive Santa Barbara college. They pull off a devious plan where Patrick beds Kathryn's cousin, Cassidy Merteuil, to disrupts a potential relationship she had been pursuing with a British prince.
Television Series Season Episodes First released Last released Showrunner(s) Network(s) Cruel Intentions 1 8 November 21, 2024 Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman Amazon Prime Video
Canceled 1999 series
In 1999, Fox gave a straight-to-series order for a television series titled Manchester Prep, with Roger Kumble returning to write, executive produce and direct some episodes. 13 episodes were ordered for the 1999–2000 television season.
During production, there were conflicts between production company Columbia TriStar Television and the network due to creative concerns. Executives were also uncomfortable with the themes of teen sexuality and incest, while Rupert Murdoch, head of Fox parent News Corporation, was said to be outraged after seeing a news story about Manchester Prep that previewed a scene in which one of the young female characters is sexually aroused by a horse. When the project was canceled, only two episodes were already filmed.
The two episodes were edited together into the 2000 direct-to-video film Cruel Intentions 2, and additional scenes were filmed to close the story and to add sex scenes involving nudity.
In 2022, deleted scenes from the two episodes were uploaded on YouTube. In those scenes, Sarah Thompson's character is named Annette, and is implied to be the same character Reese Witherspoon was playing in the first film, confirming that the series was originally set to be a reimagining of the film, and was changed to a prequel when the project became a film, with her character changing name during the reshoots. In 2024, Sean Patrick Thomas, who played Ronald Clifford in the first film, revealed that he filmed scenes for the series and was playing a new character, Todd Michaels. He was cut from the project when it became a prequel film for continuity reasons.
2016 sequel series pilot
In October 2015, NBC picked up a television pilot for a continuation of the film's storyline. The pilot was set seventeen years after the events of the film and sees Bash Casey, son of Sebastian Valmont and Annette Hargrove, discover his late father's journal. Upon discovering this, he is thrown into a world of lies, sex, and power. The potential series was to have Kathryn Merteuil, Bash's step-aunt, attempt to gain power of Valmont International.
In February 2016, Taylor John Smith and Samantha Logan were cast, with Smith playing the male lead role of Bash Casey. Sarah Michelle Gellar reached a deal with producers to reprise her role as the female lead, Kathryn Merteuil. In March, Kate Levering was cast to replace Reese Witherspoon for the role of Annette Hargrove.
Several months later, on October 31, NBC passed on the project and the series did not go forward.
Cruel Intentions (2024)
In October 2021, Amazon Studios announced that a new project was being developed with eight episodes later ordered for Amazon Prime Video. The television series is a reboot of the first film but is taking place in an entirely different setting from the original film.
It follows two step siblings at a Washington D.C. college who have worked hard climbing the Greek life social ladder on campus. After a hazing incident goes wrong, however, the two will do anything it takes to maintain the status they have achieved and set their sights on seducing the Vice President's daughter.
In March 2025, Amazon Prime Video canceled the series after one season.
Principal and recurring cast A indicates the actor appeared as their character through a photographic still. A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film. Characters Films Pilot Television series Cruel Intentions Cruel Intentions 2 Cruel Intentions 3 Cruel Intentions Cruel Intentions Kathryn Merteuil Sarah Michelle Gellar Amy Adams Sarah Michelle Gellar Sebastian Valmont Ryan Phillippe Robin Dunne Annette Hargrove Reese Witherspoon Kate Levering Cecile Caldwell Selma Blair Blaine Tuttle Joshua Jackson Caley Wilson Greg McConnell Eric Mabius Ronald Clifford Sean Patrick Thomas Court Reynolds Charlie O'Connell Andrew Kraulis Helen Rosemond Louise Fletcher Bunny Caldwell Christine Baranski Tané McClure Danielle Sherman Sarah Thompson Cherie Claymon Keri Lynn Pratt Edward Valmont David McIlwraith Peter Gallagher Jason Argyle Kerr Smith Cassidy Merteuil Kristina Anapau Patrick Bates Nathan J. Wetherington Alison Lebray Melissa Yvonne Lewis Sheila Wright Natalie Ramsey Caroline Merteuil Sarah Catherine Hook Lucien Belmont Zac Burgess Annie Grover Savannah Lee Smith CeCe Carroway Sara Silva Blaise Powell John Harlan Kim Scott Russell Khobe Clarke Hank Chadwick Sean Patrick Thomas Beatrice Worth Brooke Lena Johnson
Additional crew and production details Title Crew/detail Composer(s) Cinematographer(s) Editor(s) Production companies Distributing companies Running time Cruel Intentions Edward Shearmur Theo van de Sande Jeff Freeman Columbia PicturesOriginal FilmNewmarket Capital Group Columbia Pictures(Sony Pictures Releasing) 97 minutes Cruel Intentions 2 P.J. Hanke James R. Bagdonas Bill JohnsonJ. Benjamin ChulayJames Flynn Original FilmNewmarket FilmsColumbia TriStar Television (uncredited) Columbia TriStar Home Video 87 minutes Cruel Intentions 3 David Reynolds Thomas L. Calloway Alan Cody Original FilmNewmarket Capital Group Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment 85 minutes Cruel Intentions Jeff Cardoni David A. MakinMichael StoreySimon Chapman Christopher S. CappTony SolomonsJoseph EttingerMarc PollonAnnette Davey Off Center, Inc.Original FilmAMBI Media GroupAmazon MGM StudiosSony Pictures Television Amazon Prime Video 39–49 minutes
Reception Box office performance Film Box office gross Budget Reference North America Other territories Worldwide Cruel Intentions $38,773,785 $37,573,641 $76,347,426 $10.5 million
Critical and public response Title Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore Cruel Intentions 53% (118 reviews) 56 (24 reviews) B- Cruel Intentions 2 17% (12 reviews) Cruel Intentions 3 50% (2 reviews) Cruel Intentions 30% (10 reviews) 38 (8 reviews)
Music
Title U.S. release date Length Performed by Label Cruel Intentions: Music From The Original Motion Picture March 9, 1999 45 Various Artists Virgin Records Music Inspired by the Film Cruel Intentions: Suites and Themes from the Scores of John Ottman November 20, 2000 60:04 John Ottman Varèse Sarabande Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical - Original Cast Album March 8, 2019 55:05 Various Artists ABKCO Records Cruel Intentions: Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack November 21, 2024 51:45 Jeff Cardoni Madison Gate Records
Other media Stage adaptation
A 2015 American jukebox musical with a score made up of hit songs from the 1990s. The musical's book is by Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross. After successful performances in Los Angeles and New York, the show made its Off-Broadway debut at Greenwich Village nightclub Le Poisson Rouge in November 2017. The show was the first theater production ever staged there, which offered bar and table service. Originally scheduled for a ten-week engagement, the show was extended three times, through April 2018.
The show had its UK debut in August 2019 at the Palais du Variété Spiegeltent at Assembly George Square Gardens, part of the Edinburgh Fringe festival, starring Dominic Andersen as Sebastian and Rebecca Gilhooley as Kathryn Merteuil, produced by Bill Kenwright. The show opened at The Other Palace in London in January 2024, where it was scheduled to run until May, starring Daniel Bravo as Sebastian and Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky as Kathryn.
References