Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline to Topline Alfonso Cuaron Apple Series ‘Disclaimer’

Alfonso Cuarón is going big for his first TV series for Apple.

The Oscar winner behind Roma and Gravity has set Disclaimer, a thriller starring fellow Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, as the first project under his overall TV deal with the tech giant. Apple has handed out a straight-to-series order for the thriller, with Cuarón set to write, direct and exec produce all episodes of the drama based on the novel of the same name by Renée Knight.

Disclaimer revolves around Catherine Ravenscroft, a respected TV documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the concealed transgressions of long-respected institutions. When a novel written by a widower appears on her bedside table, she is horrified to realize she is a key character in a story that reveals her darkest secret. Blanchett will play the journalist and Kline will portray the widower.

Disclaimer extends Cuarón’s relationship with Apple, where he is producing the original film Raymond and Ray for the streamer’s recently launched internal studio. The series is the first to stem from the pact the filmmaker inked with Apple in October 2019 following a competitive bidding process for his services. The overall deal was considered a big win for Apple as Cuarón was fresh off best picture nominee Roma for Netflix.

The series is also produced by Anonymous Content, where Cuarón has a nonexclusive deal. Cuarón exec produces alongside his Esperanto Filmoj topper Gabriela Rodriguez and Anonymous Content’s David Levine, Dawn Olmstead and Steve Golin. Blanchett will also exec produce, while author Knight is a co-EP. Emmanuel Lubezki, who worked with Cuarón on Gravity, and Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis) are the DPs on the series.

Cuarón has been nominated for 10 Oscars, taking home the statuette four times for his work directing and editing Gravity and directing and cinematography for Roma. He landed writing nominations for his work on Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men and Roma. Disclaimer marks his first TV series since NBC’s Believe. He briefly shopped a horror series with Casey Affleck set to star, but ultimately it did not move forward.

Blanchett recently wrapped Borderlands, Don’t Look Up, Nightmare Alley and Pinocchio. She’s in preproduction on Tar. Her credits also include Carol, and Oscar-winning performances in Blue Jasmine and The Aviator. Her TV credits include an Emmy nomination for her role in FX on Hulu’s Mrs. America.

Kline earned a supporting Oscar for his role in A Fish Called Wanda and a pair of Emmy mentions for his work in miniseries Cyrano de Bergerac and voiceover performance in Bob’s Burgers. His credits include The Big Chill, Beauty and the Beast and A Prairie Home Companion.

Disclaimer joins a roster of original scripted dramas at Apple including The Morning Show, Truth Be Told, the upcoming WeCrashed, Roar and Five Days at Memorial. The series continues Apple’s penchant for drawing A-list names to originals in a bid to break through the cluttered streaming landscape.