The news broke back in 2022 that Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi and frequent collaborator Jemaine Clement (Legion, What We do in the Shadows) were in the process of developing a reimagining of Terry Gilliam's '80s classic Time Bandits for Apple TV+ with Friends alum Lisa Kudrow set to star, and we now have a first look via EW.
Kudrow will lead a cast that also includes Kal-El Tuck (Unseeing Evil), Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up), Tadhg Murphy (Conversations With Friends), Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (You Don’t Know Me), Rune Temte (Eddie the Eagle), Kiera Thompson (Martyrs Lane) and Rachel House (Heartbreak High).
Though specific plot details are still under wraps, the series is described as "a comedic journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an eleven-year-old history nerd."
The show appears to be keeping the original premise, but it's not clear if it'll be a full-on reboot or a follow-up with ties to the movie.
Kudrow is playing the team's leader Penelope; with Tuck as Kevin; Yi as Judy; Murphy as Alto; Nsengiyumva as Widgit; Temte as Bittelig; Thompson as Saffron, and House as Fianna.
Check out the image at the link below.
“It was just nothing I’d really ever seen before,” Waititi says of Gilliam's film. “I remember being freaked out by a lot of it. A lot of the kids’ films back then were not as inventive and imaginative.”
“I was pretty young, so it would have been one of the bigger introductions to Terry Gilliam and British comedy,” adds Clement. “Seeing John Cleese as Robin Hood is still one of the funniest scenes in any movie, I think.”
Waititi is set to direct the first two instalments of the 10-episode series, which will be co-produced by Paramount Television Studios, Anonymous Content’s AC Studios and MRC Television.
Check out the trailer for the original Time Bandits film below.
Terry Gilliam is responsible for directing, producing, and co-writing the screenplay for the 1981 British fantasy adventure film. A number of well-known actors, including Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Peter Vaughan, and David Warner, are featured in the film.
The original Time Bandits tells the story of a young boy who is taken on an adventure through time with a band of thieves who steal treasure from various points in history. Throughout their travels, they encounter many different eras.