NBC cleaned house and re-stocked their slate this week, but one hot pilot that was missing from the list of greenlights was “
Cruel Intentions.”
The series revival of the ’90s flick may still happen,
Variety has learned, and “Cruel Intentions” could end up on NBC’s 2016-2017 schedule.
NBC and
Sony Television have been in long negotiations over the project, which remains a favorite of both the network and the studio. Sources close to the project say that all execs involved want to see “Cruel” go all the way, but NBC and Sony haven’t yet come to an agreement over stacking rights or ownership.
As of now, NBC has an even split of shows from its in-house arm, Universal Television, vs. outside studios. This week, NBC greenlit four shows from Universal — “Great News,” “Marlon,” “Chicago Justice” and “Midnight, Texas,” which came as a surprise. Earlier this year, the network also gave a straight-to-series order to Universal’s “The Good Place” and “Emerald City.” Six shows are also coming from outside studios with Warner Bros. TV’s “Powerless” and “Trial & Error,” 20th Century Fox TV’s “This Is Us,” Sony TV’s “Timeless,” which has been a shoo-in for quite some time, and EuropaCorp’s “Taken,” which nabbed a straight-to-series order long ago. And then there’s
“The Blacklist” spinoff, also from Sony, which just became official this morning.
NBC had been in separate negotiations with Sony over “Cruel Intentions” and “The Blacklist,” though a source says “Blacklist’s” pickup had no impact on “Cruel’s” ultimate fate. The
Famke Janssen spinoff was always eyeing a series order, but the process was stalled until today (many of NBC’s pilots were picked up yesterday) because the network was pushing for large ownership over the project.
Late on Friday, insiders close to “Cruel” told
Variety that the two parties decided not to make a decision before Upfronts, but plan to re-visit discussions after the week-long NYC presentations and are hopeful to settle on a summer 2017 debut — a time of year that could be perfect for a young, social-savvy show like “Cruel Intentions.”
The “Cruel” pilot tested well with a cliffhanger-heavy script and tremendous buzz for its new star
Taylor John Smith, who’s playing the son of Ryan Phillippe’s late character, along with its headliner, Sarah Michelle Gellar.
If NBC ultimately passes on “Cruel Intentions,” it will surely be shopped around in search of a new home.
