Apple TV+ is turning the heat way up, announcing a new thriller series that’s bound to send chills down your spine. Enter Cape Fear, a dark and twisty reimagining of the classic tale that’s bringing together some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters. The series will be led by Academy Award winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and boasts creative powerhouses Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg in the executive producer seats. And if that’s not enough, Nick Antosca (The Act, Candy) is on board to write and showrun the project.
The 10-episode series takes a sharp, modern edge to the story, described as a “tense, Hitchcockian thriller” with a razor-sharp look at America’s unrelenting obsession with true crime. Bardem steps into the menacing role of Max Cady, a convicted killer who crashes back into the lives of married attorneys Amanda and Steve Bowden after his release from prison. Trouble doesn’t just knock—it kicks the door wide open.
Cape Fear pulls its DNA from multiple sources, including the 1962 Gregory Peck-led The Executioners and Scorsese’s 1991 cult-favorite remake starring Robert De Niro. Backed by UCP (Universal Studio Group) and Amblin Television, this project is a collision of pedigree and pure suspense. Spielberg, who produced the ’91 version, returns here as executive producer alongside Antosca, Alex Hedlund (for Eat the Cat), and Amblin execs Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey.
The series lands as part of Antosca’s prolific run with UCP, where he’s been crafting acclaimed projects since 2017. For Bardem, it’s another notch on a high-profile slate—he’s also starring in the Apple Original Film F1, hitting theaters in 2025.
Apple TV+ has been riding a wave of prestige content, from Masters of the Air to its 10-time Oscar-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon. With Cape Fear, it looks like they’re aiming to redefine binge-worthy thrillers while delivering another shot of cinematic adrenaline.
