Rufus Norris (Festen) will stage the work scheduled to begin April 11, 2008, at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre. The production will open May 1.
"For long-time friends and occasional lovers Vicomte de Valmont [Daniels] and Marquise de Merteuil [Linney], love is simply a game of chess," according to Roundabout. "But in a few false moves, they find themselves locked in the ultimate checkmate. Filled with seduction, betrayal, and plenty of illicit passion, this dark comedy paints the pre-Revolutionary French aristocracy in all its cynicism and decadence."
Olivier Award winner Daniels (who earned the honor for the Royal National Theatre staging of All My Sons) has appeared on the London stage in Therese Raquin, Three Sisters, The Wild Duck, The God of Hell, Tales From Hollywood, Naked, Waiting for Godot, Entertaining Mr. Sloane and more. He has been seen on television in "The State Within," "Elizabeth-The Virgin Queen," "Ian Fleming-A Life in Pictures," "Truth or Dare," and "Romeo and Juliet." Film credits include "Beautiful Thing," "Luna," "Doom" and "Madeleine."
Linney, who will next be seen opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in the feature film, "The Savages," has managed to enjoy both a stage and film career. Her recent Broadway work in Sight Unseen, The Crucible and Uncle Vanya have been peppered amid film work in "You Can Count on Me," "Mystic River," "Kinsey" and "Love Actually."
She has also appeared on stage in Honour, Holiday, Hedda Gabler and The Seagull. Her film credits also include "The Nanny Diaries," "Breach," "The Squid and the Whale," "The Life of David Gale," "The Truman Show" and the HBO version of "The Laramie Project." Hampton's play is based on the novel by Choderlos de Laclos. The drama won the Olivier Award for Best Play in its 1985 London premiere and was the basis for the 1988 Academy Award-nominated film "Dangerous Liaisons."
Howard Davies directed the original 1987 Broadway production at the Music Box Theatre with Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan as the dueling duo. The work was nominated for the Best Play Tony Award; stars Rickman and Duncan were also Tony-nominated.
The current Roundabout season on and Off-Broadway includes Pygmalion, The Overwhelming, The Ritz, The 39 Steps, Crimes of the Heart, Sunday in the Park with George, and The Marriage of Bette and Boo.
For more information visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.