Volkswacht Bodensee - Javier Bardem terrifies Amy Adams in TV adaptation of 'Cape Fear'

"There's some menace, there's this animal component in Max Cady that has always been there, that is so physical," Bardem told journalists ahead of the June 5 series' release on Apple TV.

"But also it has to be attractive. It has to be something that you cannot take your eyes off, and at the same time, when you least expect, it can attack you," added the 57-year-old actor.

It's a quality that co-star Amy Adams says makes Cady a "patient predator."

The 51-year-old actress plays Anna Bowden, who, along with her husband Tom (Patrick Wilson) and their two children, becomes the target of Cady's fury years after he is jailed for murdering his own wife.

Adams says she drew inspiration for the role from the performers of Hollywood's Golden Age.

"I always sort of go back to classic actresses in the way that they could sort of toe a line between extreme femininity and just rock hard will and grit," she said.

"I think it's just a part of how I like to view women is this 'strong' and 'soft,' and I love that contradiction," she added.

- 'Invisible vulnerabilities' -

The series is based on the 1957 book "The Executioners" by John D. MacDonald, which was adapted into two films, one in 1962 and the other in 1991.

The latter version starred Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, and Jessica Lange, and was directed by Martin Scorsese.

Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are executive producers of the upcoming series created by Nick Antosca.

Antosca said expanding a two-hour film into a 10-episode series allowed the team to create twists and turns that reflect the nature of the current moment.

One of the new elements is Cady's story, whose murder trial is the genesis of the marriage between his then-lawyer Anna and the prosecutor, a young Tom Bowden.

The idea was that "this family's life and their happiness is fully built on Max Cady's suffering. He's not an incidental, forgotten figure in their past," Antosca said.

"Both the husband and wife were involved in the trial...they got married because of the trial. They have kids because of the trial.

"'Cape Fear' is the story of the destruction of a family that feels safe (by) a monster...who finds invisible vulnerabilities under the surface."

The television format also allowed the production to give Cady more depth and show the evolution of his rage.

"I wanted the audience to be able to sympathize with him at times, and be terrified of him at times," Antosca told AFP on the Los Angeles red carpet.

N.Schaad--VB