Cape Fear TV series coming from Nick Antosca, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese

At one point in time, Steven Spielberg was set to direct the thriller Cape Fear, while Martin Scorsese was attached to direct the historical drama Schindler’s List. Then Scorsese decided to step away from Schindler’s List, a choice that coincided with Spielberg deciding that Cape Fear was too violent for him. So the directors traded movies – resulting in Scorsese directing Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis to Oscar nominations for Cape Fear and Spielberg turning Schindler’s List into a Best Picture winner. Now Deadline reports that Spielberg and Scorsese are teaming up to executive produce a TV series adaptation of Cape Fear, with Nick Antosca on board as executive producer and showrunner.

Antosca’s previous credits include Hannibal, The Forest, Channel Zero, Brand New Cherry Flavor, Antlers, The Act, Candy, and A Friend of the Family.

Coming our way from Amblin Television and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, this version of Cape Fear is said to be “as an unconventional take on the IP” that turns the story into 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.

The Cape Fear story began with a novel called The Executioners by John D. MacDonald. First published in 1957, that book received a film adaptation in 1962 that was directed by J. Lee Thompson (who was working from storyboards devised by original director Alfred Hitchcock). Released in 1991, Scorsese’s Cape Fear was a second take on the material. It’s said that Antosca has been obsessed with the Cape Fear movies since he was a kid.

The Cape Fear TV series project is currently at the center of a bidding war. Deadline notes that potential homes for the project include “UCP sibling Peacock, where Antosca recently did A Friend of the Family; Apple TV+, where Scorsese has a first-look TV deal and just directed Killers of the Flower Moon; Hulu, home of Antosca/UCP’s The Act and Candy; and Netflix, the platform of Antosca/UCP’s Brand New Cherry Flavor; with other major players, such as HBO, also said to be interested.”

In addition to Spielberg, Scorsese, and Antosca, the Cape Fear TV series will be executive produced by Alex Hedlund of Eat the Cat and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey of Amblin Television.

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