Scheming and romance blend together in STARZ’s Dangerous Liaisons trailer

Love is a battlefield, especially when romance blooms on the cusp of a revolution. That’s the case for the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont of Dangerous Liaisons, as we see the two infamous lovers seduce, scheme, and survive among the nobility of 1700s Paris in the recently dropped trailer for the STARZ series.

Set before the events of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ scandalous 1782 novel of the same name, the high-society drama adds a bit of context for the paramours that share the mutual hobby of manipulation. Betrayed by the discovery of Valmont having an affair, Camille (a.k.a., the Marquise de Merteuil) offers to be lovers with him once again…but only on the condition of him seducing another woman to learn a lesson on love. In the trailer, debauchery and greed are shown to overflow throughout the rich ranks of 18th-century Paris, pushing Camille and Valmont’s relationship game to its own extremes.

The official synopsis of the series reads: “Driven to right the wrongs of their past, the young couple’s survival depends on their skills of seduction and manipulation of not only the French nobility but of each other. Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton portray the notorious lovers: Camille who is taken in by the current Marquise de Merteuil (played by Lesley Manville) navigates her own path in a world of men, using the power of secrets to take back control, and Valmont who will stop at nothing to regain his title that was recently taken from him. Their on-again off-again love story is the heart of the series. It’s not love… it’s war.”

Starring Alice Englert (The Power Of The Dog) and Nicholas Denton (Glitch) as the young plotters, Dangerous Liaisons’ cast includes Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Kosar Ali (Rocks), Carice van Houten (Game Of Thrones), Hilton Pelser (Moffie), Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper), Michael McElhatton (Game Of Thrones), Nathanael Saleh (Mary Poppins Returns), Colette Dalal Tchantcho (The Witcher), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Godzilla Vs. Kong), and Tom Wlaschiha (Stranger Things).

The drama series is created and written by Harriet Warner (Tell Me Your Secrets), who is also involved as showrunner and executive producer. As well as Warner, Colin Callender, Tony Krantz, Scott Huff, Bethan Jones, and Christopher Hampton also serve as executive producers of the show, with Barney Reisz as a producer.

Dangerous Liaisons premieres November 6 on STARZ. Let the conspiring begin.