Scandal is the hot new flavour of the season, and the Cruel Intentions reboot is serving it with a side of champagne and caviar.
Savannah Lee Smith joins Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess in this spicy new teen romance drama, a reimagining of the 1999 film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon. Arriving nearly 25 years after the film’s release, the series blends the movie’s familiar dark, scandalous charm with a fresh and contemporary twist.
Ahead of the series premiere, ETimes sat down for a candid chat with leading lady Savannah, who steps into the shoes of Annie Grover, and Brooke Lena Johnson, who plays her gal-pal Beatrice Worth. When asked about the movie’s evil elegance that endures, even two decades later, Brooke shared, “I think the original was such a cult classic, so people have very strong feelings about it. We still carry on that dark, scandalous, and taboo aspect of the original movie, and we take a whole new spin on it.”
Confident in the show’s ability to resonate with old and new audiences alike, she added, “Fans of the original movie are going to love this series in a new way. They’ll find twists and turns that keep it very original on its own, and I think it will really complement the movie in many ways.”
While this eight-part series is set to roll out worldwide on Prime Video, almost a decade ago, a reboot series featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar reprising her role as Kathryn Merteuil was scrapped after its pilot episode, reportedly because it “just wasn’t working.”
When asked how they hope the original cast will react to the new series, Savannah shared her enthusiasm, saying, “I hope they love it as much as we do. It’s an honour to take a cult classic, something so amazing, and be able to do it differently.”
Brooke echoed the sentiment, “I really hope they see it, love it, and relive those days when they made Cruel Intentions.”
In this new adaptation, Cruel Intentions takes place at an elite Washington, DC college, where two ruthless step-siblings, Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess), will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy—even if it means seducing Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.
The series premieres on Thursday, 21 November 2024.
