Netflix is bringing a new adaptation ofDangerous Liaisonsto the small screen. Originally titledLes Liaisons dangereuses, the 1782 French novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos is a steamy satire of the idle rich that weaves a tapestry of seduction and betrayal amid a collection of characters among the French nobility of the era. It has been adapted to the screen many times, perhaps most notably in a 1988John Malkovich moviethat also starred Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer, and in the 1999 teen movie reimaginingCruel Intentions, which starred Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Reese Witherspoon.
PerThe Hollywood Reporter,production is currently underway in Seoul on a new Netflix K-drama titledScandals, which is being directed byTune in for Love’s Jung Ji-woo and adapts the 2003 movieUntold Scandal. In turn,Untold Scandalwas an adaptation ofDangerous Liaisonsset in the Joseon era, which was Korea’s longest dynasty and lasted from 1392 to 1897.
The series will follow the basic framework of both the movie and the novel, following the upper-class Lady Cho (Son Ye-jin ofSomething in the Rain) and her licentious friend Cho Won (Ji Chang-wook ofSuspicious Partner) conspiring to sexually and romantically manipulate the widow Hui-yeon (Nana ofMy Man is Cupid). ReadNetflix’s official description ofScandalsbelow:
[Scandals] brings to life a world where love and temptation were taboo. The series depicts characters who challenge the strict order of society and engage in a risqué game of love and temptation at a time when harboring desires was forbidden.
What This Means For Scandals
It Could Breathe New Life Into The Property
Given the sheer number of adaptations ofDangerous Liaisonsthat have graced the big and small screen since it was first adapted into a movie in 1959,the team behindScandalswill have to work hard in order for it to stand out. This is complicated by the fact that the novel has already been adapted three times in the 2020s alone, in a 2022 French movie that is also a Netflix release, a 2022 Starz drama featuring Nicholas Denton, and the 2022Cruel IntentionsTV show, a short-lived Prime Video reboot starring Sarah Catherine Hook and Zac Burgess.
The 1959 movieLes Liaisons dangereuseswas directed by Roger Vadim (Barbarella) and co-written by Claude Brulé and the novelist Roger Vailland.
However, by bringing the story ofUntold Scandalto the small screen,Scandalsmay have already found the factor that will help it stand out. The 2003 movie recontextualized the story with unique juxtaposition by setting it in an entirely different culture during a time when there were similar social and moral restrictions. While it was a success, becoming the fourth highest-grossing movie in South Korea that year (two spots behind theBong Joon Ho movieMemories of Murder),being a Netflix production will allow the series to find a wider audience, bringingUntold Scandal’s fresh take worldwide.
Our Take On The Scandals Announcement
It Could Become A Netflix Hit
The star-studded cast ofScandalsshould also help it find an audience despite a litany of otherDangerous Liaisonsadaptations. If its cast and source material are successful in helping it stand out, it could potentially become a smash hit for Netflix, especially asit comes during a time when K-dramas have become increasingly popular on the platform, with titles such asMelo Movie,When Life Gives You Tangerines, and the record-breakingSquid Gamefinding broad global audiences.
