Apple TV's Cape Fear: Can It Match Scorsese's Thrilling Classic?

Apple TV has exciting projects coming in 2026, among them a psychological thriller series that will have a hard time living up to Martin Scorsese’s version of it. Apple TV has stood out from other streaming platforms for having original content and no licensed content, and for bringing high-quality TV shows like Silo, Severance, and Pluribus.

There’s now a lot of anticipation around Apple TV’s upcoming projects, and one, in particular, has some big shoes to fill. Coming to Apple TV in the summer of 2026 is Cape Fear, a psychological thriller miniseries based on John D. MacDonald’s 1962 novel The Executioners. Cape Fear is set for a June 5, 2026, release, and it already has a huge challenge ahead.

Martin Scorsese Set A High Standard For Cape Fear Adaptations With His 1991 Movie

Apple TV’s Cape Fear isn’t the first adaptation of MacDonald’s novel. The story was first adapted to film in 1962, directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, and again in 1991, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro. Although the first adaptation was successful, Scorsese’s version is the best known one.

Cape Fear tells the story of Sam Bowden (Nolte), an attorney who was key in sending psychopathic rapist Max Cady (De Niro) to prison. 14 years later, Cady is released, and he’s ready for revenge against Bowden – and for that, he targets his family, especially his teenage daughter, Danielle (Juliette Lewis).

Cape Fear was a critical and commercial success, and it set the bar high for future adaptations of the story. Cape Fear has outstanding performances by its main cast, masterfully builds tension, suspense, and fear, and Scorsese didn’t hold back when showing how terrifying and cruel Cady could be.

The quality of Scorsese’s Cape Fear will be hard to match and surpass by any future adaptations, as he found the perfect balance between suspense, horror, and drama, without exaggerating Cady’s character and actions, but firmly establishing him as one of the scariest villains in movie history.

Despite Award Nominations, Cape Fear Is Still Underrated

Cape Fear is one of the best Martin Scorsese movies, and as such, it received nominations for different awards (including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars). However, this doesn’t change that, while one of the best, it’s also one of the most underrated Scorsese movies.

Scorsese has more great movies than bad ones, so it’s easy for some of the best to get lost among titles like Goodfellas, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street, which is what happened to Cape Fear. Something that greatly contributes to this is Cape Fear being pretty much a horror movie, setting it apart from the rest of Scorsese’s works.

Although many of Scorsese’s movies cover serious topics and have dark moments, Cape Fear is a lot darker from beginning to end, and Max Cady is unlike any other character in Scorsese’s movies. Cape Fear might not be an easy watch for many, but it’s an excellent movie.

How Apple TV's Cape Fear Will Be Different From Previous Movie Adaptations

Although at the time of writing, there’s no teaser or trailer for Apple TV’s Cape Fear, the first look at it has already been revealed, giving the audience an idea of what to expect. Apple TV’s take on Cape Fear stars Javier Bardem as Max Cady, Amy Adams as Ana Bowden, and Patrick Wilson as Tom Bowden.

Apple TV’s Cape Fear already has a big difference from previous adaptations as it makes Bowden’s wife a main character, making her an attorney too, who might have also been involved in Cady’s imprisonment. Based purely on those first pics, this take on Cape Fear seems to be leaning more towards drama than horror, but it surely won’t ignore the atrocities committed by Cady.

There are high expectations for Apple TV’s Cape Fear series, and it has a huge challenge ahead as Martin Scorsese’s movie set the bar very high, but so far, the show looks quite promising.