‘Dangerous Liaisons’: Lesley Manville, Carice Van Houten, Paloma Faith, Michael McElhatton, Kosar Ali, 9 More Cast In Starz Prequel Series

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Oscar nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Emmy nominee Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones), Paloma Faith (Youth) and Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones) and BAFTA nominee Kosar Ali (Rocks) are among 14 cast in Starz’s original series Dangerous Liaisons, a reimagining of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ classic 18th century novel. Also joining leads Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton in the prequel series are Nathanael Saleh (Mary Poppins Returns), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Godzilla vs. Kong), Hilton Pelser (Moffie), Mia Threapleton (A Little Chaos), Colette Dalal Tchantcho (The Witcher), Lucy Cohu (The Queen’s Sister), Fisayo Akinade (The Personal History of David Copperfield), Maria Friedman (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and Clare Higgins (Ready Player One). The series hails from Lionsgate TV, Colin Callender’s Playground Entertainment and Tony Krantz’ Flame Ventures.

Dangerous Liaisons
tells the origin story of how the Marquise de Merteuil (Englert) and the Vicomte de Valmont (Denton) meet as passionate young lovers in Paris on the eve of revolution. Driven to right the wrongs of their past, the couple rises from the slums of Paris and scales the heights of the French aristocracy, seducing and manipulating both the nobility and each other to survive.

Manville plays Genevieve de Merteuil, a Marquise who becomes Camille’s (Englert) mentor in the world of the Parisian nobility.

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Van Houten is Jacqueline de Montrachet, a pious noblewoman with a mysterious connection to Camille (Englert).

Faith portrays Florence de Regnier, playful, fiery noblewoman.

McElhatton plays Jean de Merteuil, Genevieve de Merteuil’s (Manville) husband and a powerful Marquis who threatens Camille’s (Englert) rise in society.

Ali is Victoire, Camille’s (Englert) sparky, cynical and brave best friend.

Saleh plays Azolan, Valmont’s (Denton) gentle, thoughtful young companion.

Kae-Kazim portrays Majordome, who runs the Merteuil house.

Pelser is Gabriel Carrè, a police officer obsessed with Camille (Englert).

Threapleton plays Rose, an impressionable young prostitute with dreams of a better life.

Tchantcho is Ondine de Valmont, Pascal Valmont’s (Denton) caustic, social-climbing stepmother.

Cohu plays Christine de Sevigny, a shrewd, ambitious Duchess and nemesis to Camille (Englert).

Akinade is Chevalier de Saint-Jacques, preferred composer to Queen Marie Antoinette, and Pascal Valmont’s (Denton) best friend.

Friedman plays Berthe, an effervescent dressmaker for the great and good of Paris.

Higgins is Madame Jericho, the eccentric proprietor of a brothel in the slums of Paris.

In the 1988 Dangerous Liaisons movie written by Christopher Hampton based on his play, Merteuil and Valmont were played by Glenn Close and John Malkovich, respectively. In the 1999 contemporary adaptation, Cruel Intentions, the roles were played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe, respectively.

Starz’s Dangerous Liaisons, which at its core is the story of a young woman who negotiates love, sex, class and power to navigate an oppressive, unjust establishment on the brink of collapse, was created and written by Harriet Warner. She executive produces with Playground’s Colin Callender, Tony Krantz for Flame Ventures, Bethan Jones, Scott Huff and Christopher Hampton. Barney Reisz (Black Mirror) is the producer. Coline Abert (Les Revenants), James Dormer (Medici) and Rita Kalnejais (Babyteeth) will serve as writers on the series alongside Warner.

Leonora Lonsdale (Beast) has been tapped to direct the first four episodes of the season.

Dangerous Liaisons will air on Starz in the U.S. and Canada and on its international premium streaming platform Starzplay across its complete footprint in Europe, Latin America and Japan.

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