ROGER KUMBLE (Director) Whether putting a contemporary spin on a classic French novel or lampooning the very industry that feeds him, Roger Kumble relishes subverting the norm. And so it goes with the writer/director's second feature.
Kumble's talent for stretching the boundaries of narrative and genre was plainly evident in his first film, Cruel Intentions, starring Ryan Philippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair. In adapting the biting wit and sexual daring of Choderlos de Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangereuses to an exclusive, contemporary prep school, Kumble crafted a wickedly compelling comedy with an intriguing take on the minefield known as adolescent passion. The film, which was made for $11 million, went on to gross $110 million worldwide.
After graduating from Northwestern University, Kumble came to Los Angeles and made a name for himself as a playwright. "Pay or Play," his sharp satire of the Hollywood system, garnered him both an LA Weekly Award and industry attention. He went on to work as a screenwriter on the National Lampoon teen comedy Senior Trip before penning and directing his second Hollywood-themed play, "D GIRL." The savvy comedy, which starred David Schwimmer as a screenwriter in relentless pursuit of a development assistant, was another critical and popular hit, paving the way for Kumble to write and direct Cruel Intentions.
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