Amy Adams, the beloved star of films likeArrivalandCatch Me If You Can, has joined the cast of the Apple TV+ seriesCape Fear. Alongside Javier Bardem, Adams is headlining the series, which offers a new take on Martin Scorsese’s divisive ’90s thriller starring Robert De Niro.
PerVariety, Adams will star alongside Bardem in the TV version of the 1991 thriller, which starred Nick Nolte, Robert De Niro, Jessica Lange, and Juliette Lewis. As with Scorsese’s film, the newCape Fearis based on the John D. MacDonald novelThe Executioners, published in 1961. The story follows attorney Tom Bowden, who withholds evidence to get violent psychopath Max Cady sent to prison. When Cady gets out, he sets his sights on Tom and his wife, fellow attorney Anna, and their teen daughter.
Adams will play Anna, with Bardem taking the role of Max Cady. Here’s the official logline for the new series:
A storm is coming for happily married attorneys Anna (Adams) and Tom Bowden when Max Cady (Bardem), a notorious killer from their past, gets out of prison.
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The Apple TV+ seriesCape Fearis executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Spielberg is producing via Amblin Television with Daryl Frank and Justin Falvey. Nick Antosca, the writer behind acclaimed seriesThe Act,Brand New Cherry Flavor, andChannel Zeroserves as writer and showrunner forCape Fear. Adams and Bardem will also join the project as executive producers.
Cape Fearmarks Adams' first major TV project since she gave life to Camille Preaker in the HBO thriller miniseriesSharp Objects, based on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn. The 2018 miniseries was critically acclaimed, with many saying it featured one of the best performances fromthe actor, who has been nominateda total of six times for an Academy Award.
Adapting ‘Cape Fear’ for Modern Audiences Could Be a Challenge
TheCape Fearseries currently being planned by Apple TV+ is the third adaptation ofCape Fear, and the first in the television format. The original, a film from 1962 directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, was based on the novelThe Executionersby John D. MacDonald. In 1991,Scorsese decided to give it a try, but as it turns out, the director ofGoodfellasandTaxi Driverwas not the first choice. It was Steven Spielberg who was originally set to make the movie. However, he “traded” the project forSchindler’s List, as Scorsese decided he wasn’t the right pick for the war epic.
1991’sCape Feardemonstrates Scorsese’s superb execution of thriller tropes. The director truly pushed his limits and made a film that pushed the boundaries of movies, as well. Max Cady, played by Robert De Niro, is a cold-blooded maniac who doesn’t beat around the bush in letting the Bowdens (and the audience) know what he wants: to make people suffer. And when he does,Cape Fearshows its most cruel aspect.
AdaptingCape Fearfor modern audiences while still making an impact sounds a bit challenging. While TV is a medium that’s open to violence being depicted on screen, we haven’t seen edgy content of this nature on Apple TV+. Those who are familiar with the movie know that one of the reasons why it worked is because it made key changes from the novel (and the previous adaptation) and made Cady a bit more merciless.Will Bardem be able to top what De Niro did? We’ll have to wait and see.
