Stephanie Romanov

Of Course Without Sarah Michelle Gellar :-| Choderlos De Laclos’ controversial 1782 book "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" spawned two late 1980’s film adaptations that were both critically well-received : Stephen Frears’s "Dangerous Liaisons" and Milos Forman’s "Valmont." The novel also bore, for better or worse, Roger Kumble’s 1999 film "Cruel Intentions" (which wasn’t all that bad, really) and its straight-to-video prequel, "Cruel Intentions 2" (which was). FilmJerk.com has received word that the "Cruel Intentions" franchise now lives on with a third installment that will go straight to video, courtesy of Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment.

Having tapped out the storylines of Kathryn Merteuil and Sebastian Valmont, "Cruel Intentions 3" will instead focus on another member of the wealthy Merteuil family, Cassidy, one of three manipulative college students in their sophomore year at Preston College. Described as a playground for the very rich and bored, the moral ambiguities of seduction and revenge again take form in sex, dominance, and humiliation, much in the same way the first two films did.

The film is set to begin filming on or about November 15 in Los Angeles, shooting on a Saturday-to-Wednesday work week that will wrap December 9.

Among the characters that producers are currently in the process of casting include :

Cassidy Merteuil : A ravishing 20 year old woman from the fabulously wealthy Merteuil family, Cassidy is described as "an amazing looking young woman with a taste for the games people play." Intelligent, manipulative, cunning and vindictive, she is easily bored and devoted to proving herself worthy of her place at the apex of the social circle. Through the course of the film, Cassidy finds two competitors worthy of her and, after being initially outwitted by her two male competitors, Cassidy sets out to decide which one is worse than the other - with the aim of destroying his life without a backward glance. Producers are looking for both name and non-name actors for both this role and the two male leads below.

Jason Argyle : An unfairly handsome 20 year old who displays a coldly manipulative streak that matches Cassidy’s, Jason also attends Preston College in Santa Barbara. Well aware of Cassidy’s capacity for ruthless manipulation, Jason finds a wild card in the deck when he draws Patrick Bales as his new roommate. Startled by Patrick’s utter amorality, which he displays at regular occasions, Jason competes with Patrick to see whether he can seduce Sheila Wright before Patrick can ravish Alison Lebray. When both gamesmen declare the competition a draw, they ratchet the game up to the next level : to see who can seduce Cassidy.

Patrick Bales : A homely, stoop-shouldered 20 year old - who is attractively charming and confident when he wants to be - Patrick Is a new student at Preston College, but his intellect and guile is well-matched with the veterans Cassidy and Jason. Though he initially appears to be gawky and shy, viewers soon find out it’s all an act. Patrick is confident of his ability to manipulate others and win valuable prizes in the process, and his confidence gives him a swagger. He delights in outwitting others, and likes to reduce women to states of uncontrollable pleasure — and immeasurable pain. Having never been defeated in direct social combat, Patrick competes with Jason to see who will win sole possession of their mutual dormroom, Intent on seducing the virtuous Alison, Patrick occasionally shocks the unflappable Jason with his dark, bitter, twisted amorality. After forcing Alison to make love to him and almost breaking her spirit in the process, Patrick sets his eyes on a tougher prize : Cassidy.

Alison Lebray : A wholesome 20 year old girl, described as "virginal and pure," Alison is saving herself for her fiancé, David. A lot is riding on her relationship with David : her wealthy family has planned a merger with David’s brood ever since they were both children. Mildly hurt that David let her go off to college without him, Alison finds her loyalty tested when Patrick declares his love for her and when the stunningly attractive Brent sets out to woo her. Sheila Wright : A sexy 20-year-old college student, Sheila is devoted to her boyfriend, Michael Castell, and appears to be very secure in her devotion to him. Unaware that she’s the subject of a cruel bet between Jason and Patrick, Sheila agrees to go with Jason on a school field trip to Carmel, and there she foolishly lets herself be swayed by Jason’s good looks and powers of seduction- a choice she regrets within minutes.

Brent Patterson : A heart-wrecker, Brent is another student at Preston College, described as "the Marlboro Man at 21." Attracted to Cassidy, who is bored by him, Brent is the object of Alison’s sexual fantasies. When Patrick offers him $500 to seduce Alison, Brent (who has student loans to pay off) eagerly pockets the change and sets about the rather simple task of luring the virginal Alison into a night of sex on the beach.

Michael Castell : A clean-cut 21-year-old, Michael is another student at Preston College, and he’s closely bonded with his sexy girlfriend Sheila. Believing her to be utterly monogamous, Michael thinks nothing of offering his place on the Carmel field trip to Jason Argyle. Unaware that Jason is hell-bent on seducing Sheila, Michael soon learns to his misery that Sheila is not as faithful a girlfriend as he believed.

The original "Cruel Intentions" starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon, while the second billed Robin Dunne and Amy Adams as its stars.

Directing the effort will be Scott Ziehl, whose last released effort was Cinemax’s "Earth vs. the Spider" and is currently filming "Three Way Split." Rhett Reese wrote the effort, and is currently best known as the executive producer and creator of Spike TV’s faux reality contest "The Joe Schmo Show."

The Scorecard Producer : Neal Moritz Co-Producers : Linda Hawkins and Heather Lieberman Director : Scott Ziehl Writer : Rhett Reese Casting Director : Shawn Dawson Start Date : On or about November 15 Location : Los Angeles Production Company : New Market Capital Distribution : by Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment