"Granddaddy used to handle snakes in church. Granny drank strychnine. I guess you could say I had a leg up, genetically speaking."
Apple TV's Cape Fear series, which will star Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) as Max Cady, Amy Adams (Man of Steel) as Amanda Bowden, and Patrick Wilson (Aquaman) as Sam Bowden, is set to premiere on June 5, and the streamer has released a first official look at the three leads.
At first glance, Bardem's take on the psychotic murderer/rapist looks quite a bit different to the clean-shaven, heavily tattooed version of the despicable character Robert De Niro played in Martin Scorsese's '90s adaptation, but previous set photos revealed that the Dune: Part Two star will be sporting a few tats and possibly some piercings.
The show will be based on the John D. MacDonald novel The Executioners, which inspired both the original 1962 Universal Pictures adaptation and Scorsese's brutally violent film starring De Niro, Nick Nolte and Jessica Lang in the lead roles.
This version of the story is said to examine “America’s obsession with true crime in the 21st century.” An updated synopsis reads: “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.”
This marks a departure from the original book and previous adaptations, in which only Sam was responsible for burying the evidence that may have led to Cady's acquittal. Anna isn't aware of her husband's actions initially.
The 10-episode series has Nick Antosca on board as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The project also has two filmmaking legends involved, with Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese set to executive produce.
The ensemble cast also includes CCH Pounder, Joe Anders, Lily Collias, Jamie Hector, Malia Pyles, Anna Baryshnikov, Ron Perlman, Ted Levine and Margarita Levieva.
During the panel (a teaser screened for those in attendance but has not been released online), Adams and Wilson spoke about how they captured the story’s “elemental terror.” 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.”