Apple TV’s ten-episode Cape Fear redux, starring Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, and Javier Bardem (as Max Cady), ended its run last week. It’s been controversial, with the show alternately loved and hated, judging by the reactions on social media. Our critic, Alex Maidy, gave it a rave review, writing that it “more than earns a spot alongside the feature film iterations of the story.” However, other reactions have been downright hostile, with Bill Simmons of The Ringer (and host of The Rewatchables) slamming it on X, writing, “Cape Fear was the worst well-done TV show I’ve ever watched from start to finish. No expense was spared to create a true atrocity of a 10-episode season. I couldn’t believe how awful and incoherent it was. It’s stupefying that this show even happened.”
Whatever the case, views for the show seem to have been strong, and the finale leaves open the potential for a second season. Last week, I had the chance to catch up with star Patrick Wilson and series creator Nick Antosca in Montreal, where they were premiering the finale at the Fantasia Film Festival. When asked about a potential follow-up, Antosca was coy about a second season, saying that the finale had “an ending,” but added, “I’m not gonna say more than that.”
Whether or not it actually returns, Wilson said one of the reasons he wanted to get involved in the show was the opportunity to explore the horror-thriller genre as an extended series rather than a film.
“That’s the great thing about the genre. It’s such a wide, wide genre because we’re all interested in that tension and release. It’s similar to comedy, but comedy is very specific depending on what you think is funny and what I think is funny. But I know we can scare everybody in this room. That’s a very special thing, and that’s why it’s always going to work in cinema. You’re always going to find storytellers like Nick who, whether it’s in a movie or a long-form series, say, ‘Let’s see if we can do this over 10 episodes. Let’s see if we can really stretch out this tension.’ What a thrill to be a part of something like that.”
One thing that’s interesting is that Martin Scorsese’s 1991 version of the film paid homage to the original by casting the stars of the 1962 version, Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, in small roles. Antosca did something similar by casting one of the stars of Scorsese’s version, Juliette Lewis, in a substantial role of her own as Max Cady’s stalker.
“Yeah, she was part of the original conception of the show. I was actually on set with her on The Act, a show I did a number of years back, when the idea of doing another version of Cape Fear started to percolate. I always wanted her to be part of it. Then, in the writers’ room, one of the conversations that came up was, ‘Maybe it’d be interesting if Max Cady had a stalker.’ That ended up being the perfect role for Juliette. I love working with her. She’s the greatest.”
What did you think of the Cape Fear series? Let us know in the comments.
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