Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem is stepping further into the television spotlight, signing on for a dramatic reimagining of Cape Fear at Apple TV+. The 10-episode series, adapted from Universal Pictures’ iconic thrillers, will showcase Bardem as Max Cady, a chilling antagonist and one of cinema’s most memorable villains.
According to reports, the series will be penned by Nick Antosca, known for true crime dramas such as A Friend of the Family and The Act. Antosca will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Hollywood heavyweights Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are also attached as executive producers, with Scorsese having directed the acclaimed 1991 adaptation of Cape Fear. Bardem himself joins the production team in an executive role.
Described as a Hitchcockian thriller, the series delves into America’s enduring obsession with true crime. It revisits the lives of Amanda and Steve Bowden, a happily married attorney couple whose world unravels when Max Cady, a dangerous killer from their past, is released from prison.
The story draws inspiration from John D. MacDonald’s novel The Executioners, which first inspired Universal’s 1962 film directed by John Lee Thompson. Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum starred in that version, with Mitchum delivering a haunting portrayal of Cady. Scorsese’s 1991 adaptation featured Robert De Niro in the role, solidifying Cady’s status as an iconic screen villain.
The production comes from UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Amblin Television. Alongside Antosca, other executive producers include Alex Hedlund of Eat The Cat, and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey from Amblin Television.
This project marks another collaboration between Apple TV+ and Amblin, following their partnership on the World War II series Masters of the Air. Additionally, Apple recently worked with Scorsese on the Oscar-winning period drama Killers of the Flower Moon.
Currently starring in Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Bardem is also filming the racing drama F1 for Apple Original Films. With four Academy Award nominations and a win for No Country for Old Men, Bardem continues to expand his creative repertoire with this latest venture into the world of television.
About Author
Leave a Reply