Fans blast ‘lifeless’ new Cruel Intentions reboot series as first trailer drops

Get ready to have Bittersweet Symphony stuck in your head once again as the first trailer for the upcoming Cruel Intentions series is officially here.

The original film was first released in March, 1999, and based on the 1782 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), with Roger Kumble serving as director, leading an all-star cast including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe and Selma Blair.

The new series, which will be released on Amazon Prime Video on November 21, will swap Manhattan’s Upper East Side for the goings on at the elite Manchester College, with step siblings Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess) battling to stay on top.

Following a fatal hazing injury, Caroline uses her step-brother to pursue the Vice President’s daughter, Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), to ensure that their time on campus is not affected.

‘Being one of us means holding the key to any door worth entering,’ she declares in the trailer. ‘It’s about getting what we want.

‘Trust me, I always get what I want.’

Directing her attention to Lucien, she begs: ‘I need you to convince her in the way only you can.’

The teaser was set to a cover of Bittersweet Symphony, which famously played out at the climax of the movie, while a message appearing on screen replaced a ‘cult classic’ with ‘a new chapter’ and viewers were warned that ‘power can be cruel’.

However, the brief glimpse at the series didn’t go down too well with many, who branded the trailer ‘lifeless’ and questioned why the 90s flick needed to be rebooted.

Reddit user IxidorsDreams fumed: ‘This seems lifeless honestly— this just didn’t need to be made. I bet it does gangbusters tho [sic].’

Chefdangerdagger agreed: ‘It feels odd to me that this new version would directly reference the 90s movie so much. From the Verve cover, to the pool scene to the coke cross, it just feels like it’s relying on nostalgia rather than trying to be its’ own thing.

‘As someone who loved the movie when it came out (especially the soundtrack), this just feels like a cheap knock-off [sic].’

Kingofwale asked: ‘Who asked for this?’

‘I re-watched the original lately and this looks absolutely soulless in comparison,’ Teethcrusher said. ‘I forgot just how intense the original was and Sarah Michelle Gellar steals every scene she is in.

‘Anyone else reckon this was just a retooled script for a generic teen drama? It’s funny how early in the trailer they mention they are step siblings too like they have to spell it out.’

As James2183 added: ‘The casting in the original was perfect. Like others have said, this just looks lifeless – like it’s been made by AI.

‘They’re just going to keep on rebooting more stuff from 1999/2000 aren’t they? American Psycho is already on the way. What’s next, 10 Things I Hate About You?’

The official synopsis reads: ‘Cruel Intentions follows the elite students of Manchester College, a Washington, DC-adjacent university, where reputation means everything, fraternities and sororities are the gold standard, and two ruthless step-siblings, Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont, will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy.

‘After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Greek Life system, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputation – even if that means seducing Annie Grover, the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.

‘Hearts will be broken, loyalties will be tested, and secrets will be revealed in this modern-day royal court that is Manchester College.’

Cruel Intentions premiered in 1999 and the adaptation followed rich high school student Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah), who bet her stepbrother, Sebastian Valmont (Ryan), that he couldn’t seduce the new principal’s daughter Annette Hargrove (Reese).

At the same time, she tasked him with taking Cecile Caldwell’s (Selma) virginity as revenge for her ex-boyfriend, who savagely dumped her for the naïve newbie.

It raked in more than $76million at the global box office and is considered a classic today, and a staple for millennials – it sparked a sequel that premiered two years later, but didn’t have the same success as the original.

Earlier this year, director Roger sat down with Metro to celebrate the film’s 25-year anniversary, where he conceded that it probably couldn’t be made in the same way now.

‘No. I don’t think so,’ he said when asked whether it would still be a hit in present day. ‘We hit on some tropes that still exist today, that were still scandalous for its time and are still scandalous today.

‘It was risky, we really hit some taboos. [Sebastian] does some horrible things. But, because of Selma’s performance, and because of how she plays these scenes – in the hands of another actress, this movie would have gone off the rails.

‘It’s its own little time capsule. The fact that it set up earlier that you’re laughing before then, so it’s not veering. That’s why the movie works in its own way right now.’