A psychopathic Javier Bardem takes revenge on Amy Adams in 'Cape Fear'

BarcelonaCape Fear is not exactly a new story: besides being based on a book –The Executioners by John MacDonald from 1957–, it has been adapted twice for the cinema. The first time was in 1962, starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, and the second in 1991, with a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro. Now this psychological horror story makes the leap to television with AppleTV's series Cape Fear, starring Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, and Patrick Wilson. The fiction premieres on the platform this Friday.

Taking the 1991 film as a reference, the main character of the series is Max Cady, a man with psychopathic tendencies who is released from prison seeking revenge. Played by Javier Bardem, the character was convicted of murdering his wife, who was pregnant at the time. When his lover at the time commits suicide and leaves a letter taking responsibility for the crime, Cady gains his freedom and begins a process to rehabilitate his image. In this strategy, he will contact his former lawyer, Anna Bowden (Amy Adams), whom he blames for his conviction and accuses of having allied herself with the prosecutor (Patrick Wilson), whom she eventually married. Insidiously, Cady will turn the couple's life into a nightmare.

The team behind Cape Fear is one that will blow you away. Besides Bardem, Adams, and Wilson, the project also features Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese as executive producers. The person responsible for this new iteration of the story is Nick Antosca, creator of the disturbing Brand New Cherry Flavor (Netflix) and a declared fan of Cape Fear in its two cinematic versions. "The films impressed me a lot. They use a kind of elemental American horror that they exploit very well. And in particular, the 1991 film feels like a nightmare. It's exaggerated and feverish, and yet it has a very personal point of horror," Antosca explains to Entertainment Weekly.

While in previous versions Cady's enemy was his lawyer, in the series the dynamic has become a little more complicated, making the ex-convict's target the couple formed by the lawyer and the prosecutor who wanted to imprison him. "Their marriage and their life were fundamentally built on Max Cady's suffering. And they wouldn't have the happy, perfect life they have if it weren't for him being convicted and imprisoned," Antosca points out about the cornerstone of his adaptation.

A story in service of a great actor

A character with as much substance as Max Cady needed an "exceptional" actor, in the words of the series' creator. The one tasked with taking over from Robert Mitchum and Robert De Niro is Javier Bardem, also an admirer of the 1991 film. The actor assures that his approach to the character is a bit different from that of other versions because ten episodes offer the possibility of developing the role further. "The difference between the two films and the series is that you are not sure what Max is looking for. In many cases, you will be wrong. That is what creates the sense of insecurity that the Bowdens experience. And the audience," Bardem explains in an interview with "Esquire".

Despite his intimidating presence, Cady is a man with great powers of attraction, according to the actor. "He's like a wild animal, really fascinating to watch, attractive and charming. You can be paralyzed watching the beast and, suddenly, boom, it will pounce on you. But it's beautiful," he remarks.