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Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Entertainment
Riley Utley

The New Cape Fear’s Creator Got One Note From Martin Scorsese And Steven Spielberg (And I’m So Happy He Listened)

Javier Bardem as Max Cady looking over his shoulder in Cape Fear. .

When I found out a TV adaptation of Cape Fear, one of the best horror movies ever, was getting made, I immediately wondered how it’d pay homage to the films that came before it. Along with that, when I found out Martin Scorsese, who directed the 1991 movie, and Steven Spielberg, who executive produced the film, were EPs on the show, I had to know how they influenced it. So, I asked Nick Antosca about the notes he got from the two legendary directors, and he told me about one I’m very happy he listened to.

Nick Antosca, the creator and showrunner of Apple TV’s critically acclaimed Cape Fear, worked with Spielberg and Scorsese on this show because they are all executive producers on it. When I asked him about the notes he got from the Jaws and Goodfellas directors, he recalled one vital one that helped tie this new program back to the movies that came before it:

They give a lot of valuable notes and support. Early on, both Scorsese and Spielberg said it was important to use the Bernard Herrmann music in some way and make it a character in the show, and part of the DNA of the show. And we had always wanted to do that. Our composer, Jeff Russo, had been working with the Bernard Herrmann score and working to find ways to make it very present in the story and organic, and also have, you know, original music too, because there's only, you know, a movie's worth of the Herrmann cues.

For a bit of a history lesson, Herrmann was the composer of the 1962 movie’s score. Then, in 1991, Elmer Bernstein “adapted, arranged and conducted” Herrmann’s original score, as the album cover for '91's score proudly states. This music was then incorporated into the score for the show on the 2026 TV schedule.

Jeff Russo did the music for this series that sees Javier Bardem take on the role of Max Cady (who was played by Robert De Niro in ‘91 and Robert Mitchum in ‘62). As Antosca stated, there’s a lot of original music in the Apple TV project as well as the original score because this show is significantly longer than the movies that came before it. So, it’s cool to see how Russo has managed to mix the old with the new.

Overall, I love that this note was taken so seriously with this show. The commanding and classic score is undeniable, and it creates such a sense of fear and drama whenever it plays. Hearing it used in this modern take on Cape Fear helped me connect this new project back to the originals, as it evoked the thrill that came with the movies.

Along with that, this music, and how it is used alongside new original music, serves as a good example of how this new series (which could be one of Apple TV's best) forges its own path while honoring the projects that came before it.

Obviously, you can hear that in the music. However, I can also feel this specifically in Javier Bardem’s performance as Max Cady. His take on this guy is quite different from the others. Although the creepy yet slightly charismatic nature of the character is still very much intact.

Honestly, I’m very here for the ways this new take on Cape Fear both differentiates itself from its source material and pays homage to it. And I’m really happy it was able to do just that with the score, thanks to both Antosca’s vision and the adamant note he got about it from both Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.

Now, to see this story unfold and to hear the iconic music, you can stream new episodes of Cape Fear every Friday with an Apple TV subscription.

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