Posted in: NBC, streaming, TV | Tagged: buffy, cruel intentions, sarah michelle gellar, wolf pack

Sarah Michelle Gellar "Grateful" 2015 Cruel Intentions Series Shelved

Published Sun, 18 Sep 2022 15:05:10 -0500

Yesterday, we took a look at what Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) had to share during a The New York Times profile into why she's chosen not to discuss specifics about her time working with Joss Whedon, what she learned from her time growing up in Hollywood, and how she applies it to her role as star & executive producer on Paramount+'s upcoming series, Wolf Pack. As obsessed as we are with Gellar's "Buffy" work, we would be pretty crappy fans of her filmography if we didn't mention 1999's Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon & Selma Blair-starring Cruel Intentions, with Gellar portraying uber-mean girl Kathryn Merteuil. And then, in October 2021, Amazon Freevee announced plans to reboot the film as a streaming series set in Washington D.C. But did you know that there was an attempt at a sequel series years before that, one that was set 17 years after the original film and saw Gellar returning as Kathryn?

Originally announced in October 2015, a Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin & Jordan Ross-written, and Kumble-directed pilot was filmed. And though things looked promising for some time, the hammer dropped nearly a year later when NBC announced that it had passed on the project. And though Sony Pictures Television had vowed to shop the project elsewhere, a deal just wasn't in the cards. But as far as Gellar is concerned, the decision not to move forward on it and the project's inability to secure a new home were blessings in disguise. While not sure she would be interested in revisiting the Cruel Intentions universe, Gellar makes it clear that the film franchise's future does not belong on network television. "That was a whole crazy time. Nothing against NBC, but 'Cruel Intentions; is straight streaming," Gellar shared. "On the first day, I was like, 'This isn't working.' It's just not a network show. And if it is a network show, it's not my 'Cruel Intentions.' So, I was actually grateful."

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