HBO Max's new French-language series "The Seduction" is an 18th-century MeToo prequel to "Dangerous Liaisons" with a feminist twist, its director Jessica Palud told AFP.

The infamous tale of two ex-lovers who seduce and corrupt fellow aristocrats for their own debauched amusement, first penned in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel, has been adapted several times previously.

Particularly notable examples have included Stephen Frears's 1988 film version of the same name, starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich, and the 1999 "Cruel Intentions," which transplanted the plot to preppy modern-day New York.

But the new small-screen version, in preview at The American French Film Festival (TAFFF) in Los Angeles this week, before streaming on HBO Max from November 14, takes a unique approach

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