‘Cape Fear’ First Look Shows Javier Bardem as Vengeful Max Cady as Apple TV Series Sets Premiere Date

Apple TV‘s upcoming “Cape Fear” series starring Javier Bardem, Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson will premiere with two episodes on June 5. The images were unveiled at Apple TV’s 2026 Press Day on Feb. 3, as well as a teaser that played only in the room. Creator and showrunner Nick Antosca moderated a panel with Wilson and Wilson.

The 10-episode drama series is based on John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel “The Executioners” as well as Martin Scorsese’s 1991 film “Cape Fear,” which was a remake of Gregory Peck’s 1962 adaptation of the novel. Scorsese is an executive producer on the new series, as is Steven Spielberg, who executive produced Scorsese’s adaptation.

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Antosca introduced the panel by talking about how much Scorsese’s movie scared him — which Wilson and Adams agreed with — saying, “there’s a kind of feverish energy to it,” and “it’s Southern, it’s swampy — it looks like a nightmare.” Antosca said that he didn’t want to spoil any twists, but that the original story has been “reimagined.”

In this version of the story, which examines “America’s obsession with true crime in the 21st century” according to an official description, “a storm is coming for happily married attorneys Anna (Adams) and Tom Bowden (Wilson) when Max Cady (Bardem), the notorious killer they are responsible for putting behind bars, is let out of prison — and he wants vengeance.” The ensemble cast also includes CCH Pounder, Joe Anders, Lily Collias, Jamie Hector, Malia Pyles, Anna Baryshnikov, Ron Perlman, Ted Levine and Margarita Levieva.

Antosca asked Adams and Wilson about how they captured the story’s “elemental terror,” and they talked about being parents trying to protect their children at all costs — “full stop,” Adams said.

Adams said that Bardem brought his “natural charisma” to the role of Max Cady, made iconic in the films by Robert Mitchum and Robert DeNiro. But Bardem put a twist on the villain role, Adams said: “He also brings a lot of vulnerability, and there’s so much devastation in this betrayal. I look forward to you guys getting to see it.”

Antosca considers the Scorsese film to be firmly in the horror genre, a tone that inspired the series as well. “The first moment the show, to me, is about ambient dread,” Antosca said. “And it reflects the atmosphere of being alive in 2026, with its uncertainties and ambiguities and paranoia.”

Along with Scorsese and Spielberg, executive producers include Antosca and Alex Hedlund via Eat the Cat; Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey for Spielberg’s Amblin Television banner; Bardem; Adams; and Morten Tyldum, who also served as director on the pilot. The series was developed and produced through Universal Studio Group’s Universal Content Productions, where Antosca has been under an overall deal since 2017.

Apple TV also debuted a first look at Bardem, Adams and Wilson in character. See the photos below.