Cape Fear has a long history. It’s not just the Martin Scorsese movie we all know. It’s come in many forms, the newest of which will be a TV series. It started as a novel, called The Executioners. It was made into a film for the first time in 1962, and once again in 1991, directed by Scorsese. It was parodied in The Simpsons a couple years after that in 1993, giving rise to one of the show’s most memorable memes in the form of Sideshow Bob stepping on an endless supply of rakes.
The 1991 remake of the film tells the basic story that develops in both the book and the older version, with a few changes. The story follows a lawyer who helped in the conviction of an extremely violent and single-minded criminal. Despite representing the criminal, Max Cady, the attorney didn’t do things by the book, knowing that he couldn’t let Cady out on the streets.
READ MORE: Every Martin Scorsese Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best
After being sent to prison for 14 years, Cady learns the law so he can get back at the man who put him there, Sam Bowden. Cady is released and begins terrorizing Bowden’s family. as revenge for the conviction he received. In the Scorsese film, Cady was played by Robert De Niro, while Nick Nolte played the attorney.
The movie’s backstory is just as interesting as the plot. Initially, Scorsese was working on Schindler’s List, while Steven Spielberg was working on Cape Fear. Spielberg left the director’s chair, deciding the film was too violent for him. So, they switched projects. Given the way both of the movies turned out, it may have been for the better.
Now both Scorsese and Spielberg are backing the new Cape Fear TV series, with Nick Antosca functioning as the showrunner. Deadline says the show will be an “unconventional take” on the concept, making it a “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 10 Weirdest TV Shows Based on Beloved Movies
A RoboCop animated kids’ show? A TV sequel to The Crow? These oddball TV spinoffs based on famous movies prove anything is franchise-able.
