Streaming giant Apple TV brings in the star power to help preview upcoming highlights

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Keanu Reeves had jokes at the first-ever press day Apple TV held to promote its packed 2026 film and television slate.

Appearing onstage at the Santa Monica Barker Hangar flanked by Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer, Reeves had a packed room in stitches as he heaped praise on their Outcome director, co-writer and co-star Jonah Hill.

“Jonah Hill is the handsomest person I know … I also think Jonah Hill is the best director and the smartest and best looking person who is actually very tall in real life,” Reeves grinned, clearly in good spirits.

Reeves was on hand to promote the upcoming dark comedy, which debuts on April 10. In the dramedy, the Toronto-raised actor plays a movie star who has to make amends with people from his past when a person tries to extort him after uncovering a damaging video.

Hill, who is unrecognizably bald and bearded in the movie, called the film “a metaphor for what we all go through living on social media.”

“Social media has made us obsessed with what people we don’t know think of us, instead of caring about what people who know us best think of us,” the Moneyball actor said.

Reeves’ starry entrance helped start Apple’s look at its 2026 offerings with a bang. But the tech giant had a cavalcade of talent waiting backstage. Kurt Russell, Harrison Ford, Colin Farrell, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Pratt and Amy Adams were among the celebrities waiting in the wings.

In addition to seeing a trailer for Outcome, press in attendance heard from the creative teams behind Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Cape Fear, The Dink, Imperfect Women, The Last Thing He Told Me, Lucky, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Matchbox The Movie (yes, it’s based on the toy), Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Mayday, Sugar, Way of the Warrior Kid, Widow’s Bay, Your Friends and Neighbors, Pluribus and Shrinking. The stars avoided spoilers of any kind, and filming of the panels was not permitted, but there were several take-aways.

Cape Fear

Created and written by Nick Antosca, a reimagining of Cape Fear was one of the afternoon’s most buzzed-about projects. Set to star Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson and Javier Bardem, the 10-episode psychological thriller debuts June 5.

Like the 1962 film and Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake, Antosca’s reboot will follow a pair of happily married lawyers (played by Adams and Wilson) who find themselves the target of the vengeful criminal (Bardem taking over from Robert De Niro) they helped imprison.

Lucky

When Marissa Stapley penned her book about a con artist who is forced to flee after a multimillion-dollar heist goes wrong, she had only one actress in mind for her leading lady: Anya Taylor-Joy. Luckily for her, after the Furiosa star read the script, Taylor-Joy not only wanted to star, she wanted to produce the limited series as well.

“I think every project speaks to me very intuitively if I’m meant to do it,” Taylor-Joy told reporters of the thriller that lands on July 15. It also features Annette Bening and Timothy Olyphant.

Shrinking

Co-creators Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel weren’t in attendance for the Shrinking panel, but Harrison Ford spoke about acting opposite Michael J. Fox this season as his character deals with Parkinson’s. Ford praised Fox’s “courage and grace” in fighting the disease in real life and said the actor helped inform his own portrayal of someone suffering from the ailment.

Pluribus Season 2

Pluribus was renewed for season 2 before it even premièred last fall. Created by Breaking Bad showrunner Vince Gilligan and starring Rhea Seehorn, the Golden Globe-winning series follows the most miserable person on Earth as they try to save the world from happiness. Gilligan, who wrote the role for Seehorn, joked that he’s “never particularly happy.” But fans are also going to be unhappy with the news that they’ll have to wait for Season 2. Gilligan is plugging away, writing new episodes, but the series isn’t coming back any time soon.

Mayday

Stars Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh teased Mayday, which hits Apple TV Sept. 4. The pair traded quips in a pre-recorded message before footage was shown from the upcoming action-adventure written, produced and directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Game Night, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves). Set in the 1980s, Reynolds plays a U.S. Navy pilot who is rescued by an ex-KGB agent (Branagh) after he is shot down over Russian territory at the height of the Cold War.

F1 sequel on the way?

Apple TV closed its inaugural press day by announcing its plans to broadcast F1 races this year. But after F1: The Movie became the highest-grossing movie of Brad Pitt’s career and Apple’s biggest earner, booking more than $600 million in ticket sales worldwide, Apple services chief Eddy Cue asked the question that’s been on everyone’s mind: When’s the sequel coming?

“It’s my favourite question of all … Is there going to be another Formula One movie given the success and how great the first movie was?” Cue asked Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali. “Stay tuned,” Domenicali teased.

FEBRUARY

The Last Thing He Told Me

Season 2 — Feb. 20 (TV series)

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Season 2 — Feb. 27 (TV series)

MARCH

Imperfect Women

March 18 (TV series)

For All Mankind

Season 5 — March 27 (TV series)

APRIL

Your Friends And Neighbors

Season 2 — April 3 (TV series)

Outcome — April 10 (Film)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles

April 15 (TV Series)

Criminal Record

Season 2 — April 22 (TV Series)

Widow’s Bay — April 29 (TV Series)

MAY

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

May 20 (TV Series)

JUNE

Cape Fear — June 5 (TV Series)

Sugar

Season 2 — June 19 (TV Series)

JULY

Lucky — July 15 (TV Series)

The Dink — July 24 (Film)

SEPTEMBER

Mayday — Sept. 4 (Film)

OCTOBER

Matchbox: The Movie

Oct. 9 (Film)

NOVEMBER

Way of the Warrior Kid

Nov. 20 (Film)

TBD

Ted Lasso, season 4

mdaniell@postmedia.com