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‘Cruel Intentions’ TV Show Recasts Reese Witherspoon’s Role

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 10:50 PST, Mar 1, 2016

Last we heard about Cruel Intentions, the TV series, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, was returning to play her villainous role as Kathryn Merteuil. Fans of the original movie celebrated, as it was only rumored that she might make appearances, if anything at all. Gellar’s official inclusion on the show made the interest in the Cruel Intentions pilot skyrocket.

Now, we have other news that fans might not take well. Actress Reese Witherspoon will not be returning to reprise her role as Annette Hargrove. According to E!, actress Kate Levering will play Annette.

If Kate Levering looks familiar, it’s because she was on Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva as attorney Kim Kaswell. Before that she had stint roles in Blue Blood, Ghost Whisperer, K-Ville, Medium, and Las Vegas — just to name a few.

In case you’re not in the know, this film will take place 15 years after the virginal Annette fell for the late bad boy Sebastian. What people didn’t know is that, while Sebastian died saving Annette from getting hit by a car, he also saved the life of his unborn child, as she was pregnant at the time.

Now the TV series follows son Bash Casey (Taylor John Smith), as he realizes the true identity of his father. Bash heads off to San Francisco to meet his birth family with mother Annette, which should make for a nice reunion with her number one enemy Kathryn Merteiul, who is technically Bash’s step aunt.

With Sarah Michelle Gellar’s inclusion, fans are hoping for a more nostalgic feel, rather than a brand new reboot. Sarah Michelle Gellar isn’t the only one returning to Cruel Intentions. The film’s original writer and director, Rober Kumble, is directing the pilot, and executive producer Neal Moritz, who produced the movie, will be producing the show, so it will probably stay in line with its original tone.

As for Gellar, right now all we know is that she will reprise her character in the pilot. We don’t know if her character will pop in throughout the series if it gets picked up by NBC for a full run, or if she will only make a cameo in the first episode. Either way, it’s probably a good sign that the actress sounds excited about getting back to work.

Gellar confirmed the news to the delight of many fans via her Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCMRhYoMY36/?taken-by=sarahmgellar

For those who aren’t familiar, Gellar played Sebastian’s sexy step sister, whom he was infatuated with. The two decided to wager a bet, that if Sebastian could sleep with innocent Annette, he would get a chance to sleep with her, but if he didn’t he would have to survive without sleeping with his step-sister, who was quite the temptress.

Fifteen years later, and it turns out that Kathryn’s evil side is well hidden, as she disguises her cold heart in the form of a youth rehabilitation center that she runs as a philanthropist. It’s said that she will not turn into “Marcia f–king Brady of the Upper East Side” and her intentions to do good for the youth are skewed.

So far we don’t know if other characters from Cruel Intentions, such as Ronald and Cecile, or the actors that portrayed them, will be along for the ride. If anything, we hope that 1956 Jaguar Roadster that Sebastian drove makes a special appearance.

[Photo by Columbia Pictures]

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