24/50
This will mark the third attempt at a television series based on the world of Okrutne Namjere (1999)
Synopsis
After a hazing incident at their elite college, step-siblings Caroline and Lucien decide to preserve their power and reputation by seducing the daughter of the Vice President of the United States. The direct-to-video sequel Written Names 2 (2000), with Amy Adams replacing Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kathryn Merteuil, was originally a scripted TV series before being re-edited into a feature film.
Scratched Names (1999) follows
Gellar would later reprise her role as Kathryn in 2016 for the NBC pilot Cruel Intentions (2016), which was not ordered to series. Aside from Sara Silva, who played CeCe, all of the actors were terribly cast.
Not to say that they aren’t decent actors
To say the acting was subpar is an understatement. But the main characters were definitely not right for the roles.
It’s not a completely different story
The plot was decent, and while it’s understandable that these aren’t the same characters from the original film, they are loosely based on them. They mimicked certain scenes from the original, like Caroline kissing Annie.
Lucian was supposed to be a sexy character like Sebastian was, but how Zak Burgess was thought to be the right look and actor for the role is beyond me
Sara Catherine Hook, who played Caroline, did a decent job playing a slut, but as Zak and the character Lucien, they really failed to be “sexy and seductive.” It would have helped not to use the title Cruel Intentions for the show, but regardless, these actors and actresses just missed the mark.