CAPE FEAR Series in Development with Producers Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese
Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese are teaming up to develop and executive produce a series adaptation of Cape Fear. The project is said to be a drama series reimagining of the classic Universal films and it’s been created by Nick Antosca (The Act, Hannibal), who will also serve as showrunner.
The Cape Fear series is described as an unconventional take on the IP that draws from John D. MacDonald’s novel and its feature adaptations. “the Cape Fear series is a tense, contemporary thriller that examines America’s obsession with true crime in the 21st century. In it, a storm is coming for a pair of married attorneys when an infamous killer from their past gets released after years in prison.”
This series’ story is a slight departure from MacDonald’s 1957 book The Executioners and the movies that have been movie, but it sounds interesting. The first film adaptation came in 1962, and it was directed by J. Lee Thompson from storyboards devised by original director Alfred Hitchcock. That film starred Gregory Peck. The second movie came from Scorsese in 1991, and it starred Robert De Niro.
The series is in the middle of a big Hollywood bidding war and some of the streaming services that are trying to get it include Peacock, Hulu, Netflix, and HBO.
The report says that “Antosca has reportedly been obsessed with both Cape Fear movies since childhood and approached Universal about adapting the property through UCP where he has been based for the past seven years.”
This project is still a long way out, but I’m curious to see how it turns out. With the level of creative talent that’s involved, I’m sure it’s going to be great!
Source: Deadline