The 2023 Vanity Fair article True Crime, True Faith: The Serial Killer and the Texas Mom Who Stopped Him serves as the basis for the upcoming six-part limited series Fear Not, which Deadline confirms has received a greenlight from Paramount+. Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) is on board to star in and executive produce the series, which is coming our way from writer Bash Doran (Boardwalk Empire), Steve Stark’s Toluca Pictures (Wednesday), and MGM Television.
Synopsis
Fear Not will the story of prolific serial killer Stephen Morin — accused of more crimes than Ted Bundy — and the unlikely bond he formed with Margy Palm, the last woman he ever kidnapped. Morin’s abduction of Palm, which started as a deadly captive situation, took an unlikely turn; one which included compassion, prayer, and profound courage. Palm’s devotion to her faith and her insistence that Morin could be transformed, became the impetus of a relationship that lasted long after Palm was returned to safety — until Morin received the death penalty. Hathaway is taking on the role of Margy Palm.
As depicted in the Vanity Fair article, Margy Palm, a religious Texas mother, was abducted by Stephen Morin outside of a Kmart while shopping for Christmas gifts on December 11, 1981. She spent eight hours as Morin’s hostage before convincing him to set her free by appealing to him through a discussion of her faith. The unlikely friendship that developed resulted in Margy visiting Stephen there more than a dozen times in prison before he was executed by lethal injection in 1985 at age 34.
Producers
Hathaway is executive producing the show alongside Adam Shulman and Johnathan Rice for Somewhere Pictures. Stark and Stacey Levin executive produce for Toluca Pictures, while Helen Estabrook does the same for Vanity Fair Studios. Doran is also an executive producer, as is the real-life Margy Palm, along with Bart and Noelle Palm.
Doran is on a hot streak, as Deadline notes that, within the last five months, the writer also got greenlights for Foster Dade at Hulu and How To Survive Without Me at HBO Max. Fear Not was previously set up at Prime Video, but moved over to Paramount+ after Prime Video decided not to go forward with it. The streamer acquired the project last September, making it one of the first big buys for the new Paramount+ regime, led by Cindy Holland, Direct-to-Consumer chair for Paramount, and Jane Wiseman, Head of Originals for Paramount+. They put it on the fast track, commissioning a pilot script rewrite, a backup script, and a series bible.
Wiseman provided the following statement: “At Paramount+, we are always looking for stories that captivate and entertain our audience, and this series will do exactly that. By grounding this chilling true story in the lived experience of our protagonist, Anne is bringing a level of nuance and gravity to the screen that only a performer of her caliber can. We are thrilled to collaborate with Anne, Bash and the rest of this illustrious team and we can’t wait for viewers to see what is sure to be an enthralling limited series.“
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