Skip to main content

Sarah Michelle Gellar will return for the Cruel Intentions TV series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar has been fairly selective about the projects she’s joined since Joss Whedon’s wildly popular series ended its seven-season run in 2003, but her next role will see her returning to another, familiar character from her past.

Geller announced this week that she’ll reprise her role from the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions for an upcoming television series based on the film. The original movie, which starred Gellar, Ryan Phillipe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair, cast the Buffy actress as a scheming prep school student who uses charm and seduction to manipulate the people around her.

Recommended Videos

The news of Gellar’s involvement came from the actress herself, who posted an image on Instagram featuring a photo of herself with Cruel Intentions director Roger Kumble and executive producer Neal Moritz during production of the original movie, juxtaposed with a recent photo of all three together again.

“That’s right ‘everybody loves me, and I intend to keep it that way’ #kathrynmerteuil is back!!! I am happy to say that I will be joining them (and @nbctv ) on the new #Crueltv,” wrote Gellar in the caption for the photo.


According to Deadline, the Cruel Intentions television series will be set 15 years after the events of the 1999 movie, and will pick up with Kathryn Merteuil (Gellar) vying for control of her wealthy family’s company. American Crime actor Taylor John Smith will play Bash Casey, the son of Kathryn’s late stepbrother, Sebastian Valmont (Phillippe), and Annette Hargrove (Witherspoon).

The series will reportedly follow Kathryn as she continues to manipulate her way to power, as well as Bash’s introduction to the world of sex, money, and power that his father was immersed in prior to meeting his mother and the events of the original movie.

Kumble, who wrote and directed the 1999 movie and its direct-to-video 2000 prequel, Cruel Intentions 2, co-wrote the pilot for the series and will direct it. He penned the script for the pilot with Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross, the writers responsible for the stage show Cruel Intentions: The Unauthorized Musical Parody.

There’s no word on when the Cruel Intentions television series will premiere on NBC at this point.

Rick Marshall
Former Contributing Editor, Entertainment
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
7 most unnecessary sequels ever
Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix hold mics and smile in Joker: Folie à Deux."

It's common knowledge that many movie sequels fail to live up to the hype and quality of their predecessors. Film studios usually try to follow the money by making a follow-up to a movie that succeeded in theaters. However, filmmakers can't always replicate the magic of the original film, which has led to some lackluster sequels.

These films can bomb so spectacularly or miss the mark by so much that some even argue that they had no business existing at all. While almost any film can be deemed "unnecessary," there are many sequels to critically and commercially successful motion pictures that really didn't need to be made.

Read more
I’ve seen enough. Glen Powell is a better Running Man than Arnold Schwarzenegger
Glen Powell poses in a disguise in The Running Man.

Paramount Pictures revealed the first trailer for The Running Man, a dystopian action movie based on Stephen King's 1982 novel. Glen Powell headlines The Running Man, and despite the lack of footage, it's clear that his Ben Richards will be better than the one portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Stop filming me!" Powell's Richards screams before an explosion launches the character off a bridge and into the water. In a near-future society, Ben faces a financial crisis. He needs a doctor to save his sick daughter. Because desperate times call for desperate measures, Ben enters The Running Man, a deadly competition where contestants ("Runners") must survive 30 days. During that timeframe, professional assassins ("Hunters") hunt the contestants down, intending to kill them. Survive and win the grand prize, or die and get nothing.

Read more
The Old Guard 2 cast chooses iconic movie moments to witness for the first time
A group of soldiers stand in the dirt in The Old Guard 2.

Internet culture in the Digital Age moves at the snap of a finger. Thanks to the social media algorithm, what's popular today might not be talked about tomorrow. Five years feels like a lifetime. That's how long it's been since The Old Guard premiered on Netflix. It's fitting that a follow-up to a movie about a team of immortals would take its time before hitting the service. Mortals, rejoice. The wait is over. The Old Guard 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.

Charlize Theron returns for the action-packed sequel as Andy, the leader of a team of immortal mercenaries who serve as protectors of the world. The team consists of immortals Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli), along with a mortal, James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Speaking of finite creatures, Andy now copes with her mortality, which affects every decision, knowing she can finally die. Andy and her team will be tested with the arrival of Discord (Uma Thurman), the very first immortal with a sinister plan that threatens the universe. To defeat Discord, Andy seeks the help of an old friend, Tuah (Henry Golding), who may hold the secrets of immortality.

Read more