Amazon Prime’s new TV adaptation of the iconic nineties thriller Cruel Intentions is now available to stream, but even the most eagle-eyed viewers are likely to miss a secret nod to the series’ source material.
The original film released back in 1999 and helped to launch the career of Reese Witherspoon, who starred alongside Ryan Phillipe and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Adapted from the 18th Century novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the film followed two manipulative step-siblings at an elite school and their quest for power over their peers.
The new Prime series promises a fresh take on the story with a host of new characters viewers will love to hate. According to the show’s official synopsis: “Two ruthless step-siblings, Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont, will do anything to stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy.
(
Amazon)
“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.”
While the characters in the TV series are new, there is a huge nod to the film’s original line-up hidden in plain sight that many viewers will miss.
The manipulative step-siblings at the heart of the series are called Caroline Merteuil and Lucien Belmont. In the original film, the pair were called Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastian Valmont.
(
GETTY)
Upon closer inspection the names of the characters are very similar, with Sarah Catherine Hook and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s characters both sharing the same surname. Meanwhile Selma Blair’s film character Cecile Caldwell also gets a nod in the series. Her equivalent is Celeste ‘CeCe’ Carroway, portrayed by Sara Silva. Again, the name is undeniably similar.
The pattern also continues when it comes to the series’ protagonist Annie Grover, portrayed by Savannah Lee Smith. In the film, her equivalent was Reese Witherspoon’s Annette Hargrove with the names once again closely connected. Other references include the character Blaise Powell, who is based on Blaine Tuttle from the original film.
The Cruel Intentions series is now streaming on Amazon Prime
This post was originally published on here
