‘Merteuil’: First Look At Diane Kruger & Anamaria Vartolomei In Max’s ‘Dangerous Liasions’ Reimagining Which Will Be Called ‘The Seduction’ Outside Of France

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at Diane Kruger and Anamaria Vartolomei in Merteuil, Max’s anticipated reimagining of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s classic novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liasions).

We can reveal today that the series will be titled The Seduction in all territories outside of France and will launch in the second half of 2025. Filming continues in France until the end of this month.

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Also starring are Vincent Lacoste, Lucas Bravo, Julien De Saint Jean, Noée Abita, Fantine Harduin, and Patrick d’Assumçao.

The synopsis reads: “To be the hero of your own story, you sometimes have to be the villain in others. Marquise de Merteuil, betrayed by Valmont, embarks on a daring journey to become Paris’ leading courtesan.”

Max has described its first French Original drama as a free adaptation of Laclos’s steamy novel and “an exploration of the price of emotional and sexual freedom — in a world where women had little.”

Jessica Palud (Being Maria) directs the series which is shooting in “grandiose and intimate settings, from the cliffs of Normandy to the châteaux of Ile-de-France.” It was written by Jean-Baptiste Delafon with producers including NABI Productions and Felicita Films.

Laclos’s novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses was memorably adapted into a 1988 movie by director Stephen Frears, starring John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Uma Thurman, Michelle Pfeiffer and Keanu Reeves. It was also loosely adapted as hit movie Cruel Intentions with Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon. Starz made a 2022 series with Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton.

The Seduction will be discussed during a Max panel later today at Content London.

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