Cape Fear series by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, among others, in development

In what's shaping up as the first major bidding war for a TV pitch after the twin Hollywood strikes, multiple buyers are swirling around Cape Fear, a drama series that reimagines the classic Universal thrillers. In their first-ever television collaboration, Oscar winners Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese (both pictured below) are producing the project from creator, executive producer and showrunner Nick Antosca (The Act), Amblin Television and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.



Described as an unconventional take on the well-known title based on John D. MacDonald's novel and its film adaptations, the Cape Fear series is a suspenseful contemporary thriller that explores America's obsession with true crime in the 21st century. investigates. A storm is brewing for a pair of married lawyers when a notorious murderer from their past is released after years in prison.

That's a slight departure from MacDonald's 1957 book The Executioners and the films - the 1962 film, directed by J. Lee Thompson from storyboards by original director Alfred Hitchcock and starring Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Polly Bergen, and the 1991 film directed by Scorsese and starring his frequent collaborator Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange - in which only the husband was a lawyer.

Scorsese and Spielberg, whose company Amblin Entertainment produced the 1991 film, are producing the series with Antosca and Alex Hedlund through Eat The Cat, the company Antosca launched four years ago, and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey through Amblin Television.

Bidding is still in its early stages. Some logical potential destinations include UCP sibling Peacock, where Antosca recently made A Friend of the Family, Apple TV+, where Scorsese has a first-look television 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, reportedly also interested.

There was a lot of concern about what the TV market would look like after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with many expecting a contraction. High-profile bidding wars like this can jolt the market and give writers and producers confidence that strong packages can find a buyer.

Antosca has reportedly been obsessed with both Cape Fear films since childhood and approached Universal about adapting the property through UCP, where he has been based for the past seven years. He began his career writing for series based on classic film franchises with Hannibal and Teen Wolf before creating/co-creating a string of series starting with the 2016 sci-fi horror anthology Channel Zero.

This was followed by three limited series, The Act, Candy and A Friend of the Family, along with the book adaptation Brand New Cherry Flavor. He is also executive producer of the USA/Syfy/UCP series Chucky, based on the popular horror film franchise.

Spielberg and Scorsese, considered two of the greatest directors of their generation, are also old friends. The 1991 remake of Cape Fear was originally developed by Spielberg while Scorsese was working on Schindler's List. The two greats eventually switched projects, with Spielberg remaining involved with Cape Fear through his company Amblin Entertainment.

Just last week, Spielberg held a Q&A with Scorsese after a screening of Killers Of the Flower Moon, calling Scorsese's movie a "masterpiece."