SPOILER ALERT: This post incorporates spoilers for “Cruel Intentions,” each the 1999 film and your complete first season of the brand new Prime Video series.”
Twenty-five years later, “Cruel Intentions” will still make you blush.
The 1999 film about high-society stepsiblings Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) and Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) curing their privileged boredom by corrupting the last shreds of innocence of their peers feels each ahead of its time and like a movie that would never be made today. Plagued by culturally insensitive language and driven by unbridled, often taboo sexuality, it was a cultural shock to the system within the waning days of the last millennium.
Replicating even a shred of that ethos was considered one of the numerous challenges facing this new edition of the story. But perhaps the tallest order for “Cruel Intentions” was making a timeless tale of striving for power through sex feel relevant and revolutionary within the era of Gen Z, a currently college-aged generation that has been vocal about their lack of interest in sex in film and on television.
Within the series, now streaming on Prime Video, viewers are once more introduced to a concerningly close pair of stepsiblings — sex-positive playboy Lucien (Zac Burgess) and control-hungry sorority president Caroline (Sarah Catherine Hook) — who rule the Greek life microcosm at Manchester University. Similar to the film, they’re wealthy and entitled to the purpose of wanting nothing, so that they crave what they will’t have. In Lucien’s case, it’s his stepsister. In Caroline’s case, it’s the fun of getting her stepbrother within the palm of her hand. So to make it interesting, they make a bet: If he can sleep with Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), the vice chairman’s daughter who also happens to be essentially the most notoriously virginal student in class and Caroline’s white-whale sorority pledge, then he can have his stepsister in all of the ways he dreams. If she wins, she gets his vintage automobile and the satisfaction of his failure.
To sustain that story for potential future seasons, though, co-showrunners Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher needed to transcend the film’s foundations. First, they fleshed out characters that orbit the gruesome twosome at the middle of “Cruel Intentions.” Cece (Sara Silva), a personality originally played by Selma Blair within the film, now serves as Caroline’s ambitious but naive right hand of their sorority. Blaze (John Harlan Kim), inspired by a queer character originally played by Joshua Jackson, is now a frontrunner in Lucien’s fraternity alongside their recent president and his lover, Scott (Khobe Clarke). Sean Patrick Thomas plays Professor Chadwick, a good-natured educator who succumbs to his attraction to his teaching assistant, Cece. (Fans of the film will know Thomas originally played an identical role within the character of Ronald, a young music teacher who falls in love with Blair’s Cecile.)
Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
But the most important change vital to maintain “Cruel Intentions” alive beyond its big-screen predecessor was a brand new ending. Within the film, Sebastian succeeds in his quest to sleep with Annette (Reese Witherspoon), the headmaster’s daughter. But despite the unique reasons for his pursuit, he’s fallen in love with Annette, and tells Kathryn the bet is off. He has seemingly turned over a brand new leaf when he’s killed in a automobile accident trying to avoid wasting Annette. After his memorial service, Sebastian’s diary of conquests is published by Annette and Cece, exposing his and Kathryn’s cruelty to the world.
Within the series, though, Lucien lives to deceive one other day. After he and Annie sleep together, he confesses his duplicitous plan and ends their relationship out of some combination of guilt and fear. He also forfeits the bet with Caroline by lying and saying he failed, after which calling out all of her insecurities. But unlike Sebastian’s journal, Lucien’s conquests have been documented within the proverbial cloud as self-filmed sex tapes, which he periodically shares with Caroline for her, um, viewing pleasure. So to get back at him, Caroline releases his tapes to your complete university, unleashing her own brand of revenge porn.
But Lucien has one last move to play against his stepsister. Within the season’s final moments, he sleeps together with her mother and his stepmother (Claire Forlani), a cold-blooded woman who cuts her daughter all the way down to size as incessantly as she inappropriately flirts together with her stepson. We don’t yet know what daddy dearest may have to say about this indiscretion, but something tells us Lucien’s heretofore-unseen parent knows a thing or two about this type of sexual warfare. As his final revenge before the season cuts to black, Lucien seemingly sends Caroline a video of his dirty deed together with her mother –– her response to which is teased only by a call that he sends straight to voicemail as he smugly drives off in victory.
Zac Burgess (Lucien Belmont), Claire Forlani (Claudia)
Courtesy of Jasper Savage/Prime Video
Following the season of backstabbing, Goodman and Fisher talked to Variety about honoring the sexy fame of “Cruel Intentions,” pushing back on network notes to curb the language that was so present within the movie — and teased who might show up should the show get a second season.
What was the most important challenge in adapting the film?
Sara Goodman: The largest challenge was that, initially, we’re giant fans of the movie. We don’t need to alienate fans of the movie, but we also don’t need to do a remake of the movie. We would like to do a show. So identical to “Cruel Intentions” the movie was a version of “Dangerous Liaisons,” we’re a version of the movie that has recent characters, and a brand new setting within the Greek world that’s just as privileged and exclusive and funny and sexy. But to make an ongoing series, you want to find a way to create characters which have interior conflicts and exterior conflicts, and numerous dynamics between them. So we took all of the things we loved by way of the tone, and made a show with it that would stand on your individual.
Was there anything concerning the movie that was hard to chop but didn’t suit the series framework?
Phoebe Fisher: Sure, I mean we are able to talk concerning the ending, which differs from the ending of the movie pretty significantly. Nevertheless it is only a function of being an ongoing story. We aren’t quite done with Lucien yet, that’s all I can say.
You were each involved with Prime Video’s adaptation of “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” What lessons did you learn on that series that helped you here?
Goodman: I loved “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” but I believe that what everyone wanted from that was very different tonally from what the movie was. And I believe we felt very, very strongly, as did Amazon and Sony, that we wanted this series to be way more in keeping with the movie. While you may’t sustain an ongoing series based on the story of a movie, you should use all of that delicious, despicable, sexy humor and be certain that that it stays true to the unique material. I feel very pleased with what we did here, by way of ensuring that even when individuals are upset that it’s a special story or different characters, well a minimum of we’re true to the “Cruel Intentions” pantheon.
“Cruel Intentions” exists in a world of callous insensitivity, where people can say and do whatever they need without fear of consequence. But among the film’s famously offensive language doesn’t make it into your show. For instance, the film features multiple characters using variations of the derogatory word “faggot.” But in a scene in Episode 4 of this show, Scott simply says “f-slur” in a sentence. That’s definitely sanded down, so how did you discover the authentic language of this show in 2024?
Goodman: It’s an interesting query, since it is considered one of the wonderful lines we needed to walk. We actually had that individual f-word earlier within the series. Rourke said it to Blaze within the premiere. As an alternative of “fucker” [which the viewers hears], he originally said the opposite one. We were asked to take it out [by the network], and we objected to that because we felt he would use that language. That’s how Rourke would check with Blaze. But Scott, alternatively, is someone who doesn’t use any f-words, period. He would never say a nasty thing about any person, so for Scott it felt natural for him to say “f-slur” because that’s the way in which he talks.
Those were the alternatives that we actually tried hard to make, selecting how the characters spoke to one another based on who they were and never based on what’s culturally and socially acceptable because this can be a world where things are said on a regular basis that aren’t socially acceptable. And I believe to pretend that they usually are not is improper. People say such inappropriate things. That is “Cruel Intentions!” We would like them to try this. But at the identical time, Scott just isn’t considered one of those characters.
Fisher: He’s a very good boy!
Well, back to the language, it’s interesting you needed to fight for that word because on this upperclass world, that style of language is a mirrored image of the institution of tradition. Language like that’s utilized by these privileged people since it has at all times been utilized by them.
Goodman: Exactly. I mean, we lost that one, as you hear within the show, but we won another ones. It’s an interesting thing to make a show nowadays where you do have characters that talk like that, and also you don’t need to take it away since it is speaking concerning the world we’re living in and the way they see other people.
Fisher: And I believe, in coming up with the way in which that all of them talk, there’s sort of a shared language. It is sort of like all of them have almost the identical accent. Or the identical reference pool.
Just as a side note on Scott, please give the poor boy a pleasant boyfriend in Season 2. He deserves it after coping with Blaze all season.
Goodman: Listen, he is de facto just figuring it out in a possible way! We had some beat back on that too, that Scott truthfully didn’t know [he liked men] and that he wasn’t defined and he wasn’t just within the closet. He really didn’t know this about himself, but that was so essential to us to find a way to let him figure it out in real time. To me, that’s honest. Now we have such a soft spot for Scott. He’s the center of this show. And we love Khobe.
Fisher: His character has such an incredible arc of discovery, and I believe that continuing that arc into one other season could be really fun.
Sara Silva (CeCe Carroway), Sarah Catherine Hook (Caroline Merteuil)
Courtesy of Jasper Savage/Prime Video
A recent report said that Gen Z wants less sex of their television, but “Cruel Intentions” is legendary for its unencumbered horniness. Much like the language, how do you honor the spirit of this film’s unapologetic sexuality without turning off that generation represented inside it?
Fisher: It’s a wonderful line ensuring that where the sex was included, it felt driven by the story and it belonged within the story, and wasn’t excessive or for the sake of shock value.
Goodman: I believe the opposite thing is, these are characters that use the whole lot of their arsenal to get power and gamesmanship, and sex is considered one of those things. So we aren’t showing sex because we expect it’s sexy. This can be a game to them. This can be a power play. You already know, I don’t need to say that where there’s actual love there is no such thing as a sex on this story, but we use sex the way in which we use the whole lot else within the show –– to get what we wish. To not use it feels disingenuous.
Many of the sex scenes in your show involve Lucien, who definitely wields it as a type of power in the way in which you might be referencing. Obviously, that comes back to bite him within the finale when Caroline distributes his cache of sex tapes to your complete university. Was it at all times intentional to have Lucien be more sexually present than other characters?
Goodman: Absolutely. I believe we were very character specific, and Lucien uses sex as a numbing cream. I mean, I actually have an ice pack on my back right away, and sex for him is like that.
Fisher: An emotional ice pack!
Goodman: An emotional ice pack, yes, but in addition when he doesn’t need to feel things like when he’s bored. Lucien uses sex another way. Caroline uses sex another way. After we show those things, we wish them to tell the character and inform how they get power on this planet. To point out sex only for shock value, I believe perhaps that’s where Gen Z has an issue. Possibly they’re saying it’s boring when it’s only for that. At the least, I hope that’s what they’re saying. Because in the event that they are only saying sex is bad, then I’m not on board!
Was this something you needed to have constant conversations about as you might be creating this show? Sort of taking the temperature of every scene, when you will.
Goodman: We did, and I believe Sony and Amazon trusted us. We could back up why we were doing what we were doing, and sometimes that annoys you as a creator. But sometimes it also makes you’ve got to think through why it is crucial to you. Like why saying the actual f-word is very important to that character. And why fucking is very important!
Did you ever must go to bat for a selected sex scene or scale one back based on notes from the upper ups?
Fisher: I don’t think so. For us, it was at all times about keeping that titillation alive but without being graphic for the sake of being graphic. And so I believe we actually preserved that and didn’t really must compromise.
Goodman: I believe we got what we wanted.
Speaking of getting what you would like, you bought Sean Patrick Thomas back into this world in an identical, but somewhat grown-up role. What about Sean felt like he could bridge the film and TV versions of this story?
Fisher: We were so excited that Sean might be a part of this iteration of the story, because I believe that character, specifically, we actually desired to see more of and see an expansion of what that relationship really is between him and Cece. It just isn’t the identical character, obviously. It’s our newer version of it, but I believe that was a thing that attracted us to him.
Goodman: But additionally, that was the top of his story within the film. He was a prop, he was used. But in Season 2, it might definitely not be the top of his story. It was very appealing to us to have whatever redemption or punishment or whatever is coming for him. And we gave him that ex-wife who used him as well. It was really essential to us to construct an actual, full character for him who has that conflict.
You modified the very famous ending of the movie, which left Ryan Phillippe’s character dead and his black book of conquests published for the world to see. But your character, Lucien, is alive. What does “Cruel Intentions” appear like now that it has graduated from the film’s framework? What might Caroline must say to Lucien if he ever picks up the phone?
Goodman: I don’t know. What do you think that she goes to say? Why do you think that she’s calling? And Annie’s also calling, so what’s she calling about? Possibly more importantly, where is Lucien going?
Fisher: Is there really any way for him to return back from this? I don’t think so.
Goodman: And what’s his dad going to say when he finds out? And what’s he really going back to on the fraternity house? They’re raiding his room. You’ll must see, but let’s just say that cash can still buy you out of numerous problems.
Fisher: Money should purchase you a brand new room, but can it buy you a brand new father?
So it’s secure to say that, when you do get a Season 2, we are going to see Lucien’s father come into play?
Goodman: Oh, yes.
Fisher: We love a father figure.
Are you open to reaching out to other actors from the movie to look in future seasons?
Goodman: I believe if there’s an organic way, sure. But they’re a lot their characters from the movie, way more than Sean was that character. There may be a lot iconography around those other characters that they’d must play those characters, and they might have to seek out an organic way into our world. If that may occur, I don’t think anything is off the table.
So what you might be saying is the unique actors may not appear in your series, but a minimum of you haven’t abandoned sex.
Goodman: Yes! In case you can take anything from our show, it’s that sex is alive and well.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
