‘Cruel Intentions’ Update: Sarah Michelle Gellar May Only Agree To Cameo Appearances


NBC is bringing a reboot of 1999’s Cruel Intentions to the small screen, spurring rumors, comments, and hopes that Sarah Michelle Gellar will reprise her role as the delightfully naughty Kathryn Merteuil. While Sarah is the first to have been approached about the Cruel Intentions reboot, it seems likely that NBC will try to contact other stars of the film to reprise their roles. Will NBC try to bring back Ryan Phillippe, as well? And, if so, how will they explain the return of Sebastian Valmont?

While Ms. Gellar was reluctant to give her thoughts on the Cruel Intentions reboot, she responded quite openly about her thoughts on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot.

NBC Wants Cruel Intentions To Focus On Sarah Michelle Gellar, But She May Have Other Plans

It seems as though NBC is planning a revival more than a reboot, because the premise the network is pushing revolves around a grown up Kathryn Merteuil, who has her heart set on acquiring two very precious things. First, Kathryn is vying for control of Valmont International. Second, Merteuil is hoping to corrupt the soul of her nephew, Bash Casey, who is the son of her step-brother, the late Sebastian Valmont (Phillippe), and Annette Hargrove (Witherspoon).

“I think it’s great,” Ms. Gellar said of the possibility of a Cruel Intentions reboot. “I’ve loved that story forever — before I was a part of that I used to love the stage show. I loved Dangerous Liaisons and Les Liaisons Dangereuses — it’s a great, classic story with amazing, rich characters.”

It sounds like she’s excited by the idea, but Sarah also reveals that she’s not quite sure where she would fit in. Though her comment leads us to believe she knows little about the reboot, sources do confirm Gellar has been asked to read the script.

“I’d never say never,” Sarah Michelle Gellar told Cosmopolitan, when asked if she would at least consider a cameo. “Honestly, everything you’re reading [about it] is the same for me. I don’t know anything about the story they’re doing or the characters.”

While Gellar is hesitant to commit to any participation in the Cruel Intentions reboot, as far as speaking publicly about the possibility, she does say that she’s excited to watch the series. Sarah adds that having Roger Kumble involved would be a big draw for her, since she has been his fan for many years.

How Does Sarah Michelle Gellar Really Feel About A Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reboot?

It’s hard to come up with any role for which Sarah Michelle Gellar is better known, other than for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For seven years, Sarah played the slayer and while others like Faith (Eliza Dushku) and Kendra (Bianca Lawson) came along, it was Gellar that made the slayer who she was and developed the character into a positive role model for young girls.

Unlike many others, who will jump on board with any reboot, Sarah speaks honestly about the idea of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, expressing what many fans feel deep down.

“It’s so hard. Buffy is the story of an adolescent girl, and the demons are the metaphor for the scary horrors of high school. I’m not quite sure how that lays out now. If you have something that is really, really good, do you take that and mess with that formula? I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to the question.”

That’s really the bottom line. Hollywood should not be producing these reboots just to remake something that was exceptional once. Remaster and re-release the originals, but don’t destroy our heroes with sub-par imitations. That goes for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for Cruel Intentions.

[Image by Columbia Pictures]

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