Alfonso Cuarón’s upcoming Apple TV series ‘Disclaimer’ drops first look

Alfonso Cuarón's TV debut, Disclaimer, premieres October 11, 2024, featuring a star-studded cast and innovative cinematic approach.

Five-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón, is set to make his TV debut with the highly anticipated Apple TV+ series Disclaimer with a first look at the series released by Vanity Fair. The new venture, premiering on October 11, 2024, has already captured significant attention, partly due to its star-studded cast featuring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline and more.

Disclaimer is based on Renée Knight’s bestselling novel of the same name. The story centers around Catherine Ravenscroft, an acclaimed journalist portrayed by Blanchett, who is known for exposing the misdeeds of others. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she receives a novel from an unknown author that reveals her deepest, darkest secrets. As she scrambles to uncover the identity of the author, Catherine must confront her past to protect her future and her relationships with her husband, Robert (Kevin Kline), and their son, Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee). The series also stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George, and Hoyeon

Cuarón has previously adapted novels such as Great Expectations, A Little Princess, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Children of Men into films. However, he seems to approach Disclaimer not as a traditional TV series but as a seven-hour-long film. He emphasized the difference in his approach, stating that while TV series typically follow a structured format of shooting several pages per day, he insisted on filming just one page a day to maintain his cinematic vision. This method led to an extended production period, exacerbated by pandemic-related challenges and actor illnesses, resulting in numerous scheduling adjustments.

The decision to treat Disclaimer like a film rather than a conventional TV series allowed Cuarón to experiment with narrative techniques and pacing. “In television, you go A, B, C, D. In film, you find a way to go from A to D directly,” Cuarón explained. This creative freedom, supported generously by Apple, enabled him to delve deeply into development.

Cuarón’s entry into television comes at a time when he is set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival, highlighting his career and contributions to cinema.

Disclaimer is also set to make it world premiere at the Venice Film Festival 2024.