Javier Bardem is headlining a re-imagining of the Cape Fear movies for a forthcoming Apple TV+ series, playing the role of psychotic stalker Max Cady.
The casting decision spurred debate among fans, as some thought the 55-year-old actor was miscast as Cady, who was previously played by Robert Mitchum in 1962 and Robert De Niro in 1991.
The Cady character is an ex-convict who emerges after his 14-year prison sentence out for vengeance against his attorney Sam Bowden (played by Gregory Peck in 1962 and Nick Nolte in 1991), after learning Bowden held back evidence that could have helped Cady avoid a rape conviction.
One user suggested the show will be ‘way more interesting if Bardem plays the Nolte role,’ while another said Bardem was ‘an exceptional casting choice’ as Cady.
Another user said of Bardem, ‘He will play the bad guy ? hhhhmm interesting.’
Iconic filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are executive producers on the drama with Bardem, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which confirmed the A-list actor would be playing the Cady role.
Javier Bardem, 55, is headlining a re-imagining of the Cape Fear movies for a forthcoming Apple TV+ series, playing the role of psychotic stalker Max Cady. Pictured in NYC this month
Nick Antosca as showrunner on the series, which was described by THR as ‘a tense, Hitchcockian thriller and an examination of America’s obsession with true crime in the 21st century.’
One tweak to the storyline will see Bowden renamed as Steve Bowden, with his wife Amanda also a lawyer, THR reported.
The show also takes creative inspiration from the 1957 novel The Executioners, which inspired the 1962 movie.
Fan reaction was divided with some questioning if Barden would be able to delineate his interpretation of Cady from Anton Chigurh – another notorious murderer he portrayed onscreen in 2007’s No Country for Old Men
‘This already looks like an incredibly great fit!…but he has to work hard to distance himself from Anton!’ the X/Twitter account for Cinematico said of the aforementioned role.
Bardem in 2008 won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for the performance.
Another user said that Bardem would be challenged to outdo De Niro’s Academy Award-nominated performance in the 1991 film.
‘This is an unconventional choice, and if Bardem portrays Max Cady, then he will have a significant challenge in filling the enormous shoes left by De Niro’s iconic performance,’ the user said. ‘De Niro’s portrayal cemented 1991’s Cape Fear as a classic B-movie that has stood the test of time.’
Cady was played by Robert De Niro in the 1991 version of Cape Fear, left… which was a remake of the 1962 movie starring Robert Mitchum, right
Fans were generally divided about the announcement Bardem would play the Cady character more than three decades after De Niro earned an Oscar nod for his performance
Others were optimistic about Bardem’s prospects in the part, saying his casting ‘could redefine the character, with legendary directors [Scorsese and Spielberg] backing’ the project.
Said another fan: ‘The original Cape Fear in 1962 was great. When nobody thought it could be topped, Robert De Niro gave one of his greatest performances in the 1991 remake.
‘And just when you thought nothing could top that remake, Apple TV brings in Javier Bardem to star in a new series adaptation.’
Some fans were happy the franchise was being rebooted more than 33 years after the 1991 film arrived in theaters.
‘That’s going to be crazy, a big deal!’ said one user, while another said, ‘Apple TV just [keeps] crushing it somehow.’