Apple May Turn Fantasy 80s Movie 'Time Bandits' Into a TV Series

Apple is close to securing a deal for the rights to turn 1980s fantasy movie "Time Bandits" into a TV series, reports Deadline.

Directed by Terry Gilliam, "Time Bandits" featured the story of an imaginative 11-year-old boy, Kevin, who gets sucked into a fantastical adventure with a band of dwarves during the Napoleonic Wars in Italy.


Kevin and the dwarves travel through time using a magical map, visiting places like ancient Greece and the Titanic and fighting off an evil being intent on stealing the map for his own purposes.

The original film starred John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Kenny Baker, David Warner, Ian Holm, Katherine Helmond, Jim Broadbent, and others.

timebanditsmovie
According to Deadline, the new TV series based on the movie will be a co-production between Anonymous Content, Paramount Television, and Media Rights Capital. Gilliam is set to serve as a non-writing executive producer.

If Apple secures the rights to the "Time Bandits" TV spinoff, it will join the other more than a dozen television shows Apple has in the works, which span genres from drama to comedy to shows for children.

In other related news, comedy writer Regina Hicks has signed on to be a co-showrunner for Apple's upcoming animated television show "Central Park" alongside Loren Bouchard and Josh Gad.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

ignatius345 Avatar
70 months ago
Oh god, don't ruin Time Bandits. That movie is great.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Breaking Good Avatar
70 months ago
I saw Time Bandits in the theater when it was released. I very much enjoyed the movie, but it does not need to be remade. It certainly should not be remade into TV series.

It was an endearing movie, but very much a one-shot deal.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lek Avatar
70 months ago
It's evil! Don't touch it!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hsoj1006 Avatar
70 months ago
Next thing they’re going to ruin is The Goonies.
How is making a spin-off TV series ruining a movie that already exists?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sracer Avatar
70 months ago
Shees relax and enjoy the ride
I'm relaxed. There's simply nothing to "enjoy" from a cynical money-grab.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
70 months ago
It is the (edit to change middle to first) first segment of Terry Gilliam's "Three Ages of Man" trilogy, consisting of Time Bandits, Brazil, and The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen
That's just an affectation on Gilliam's part. It's not a "trilogy" in the sense of a three part connected narrative. Additionally, since Gilliam is an executive producer on this TV series, apparently he disagrees with you on the integrity of this so-called "trilogy" being violated. Since he's the one who labeled it a "trilogy" in the first place, that's his right.
[doublepost=1532727305][/doublepost]
Oh god, don't ruin Time Bandits. That movie is great.
Yes, I understand that, as part of the deal, they are going to pull all the DVD copies of the original film and deface them with spray paint. They will be ruined, absolutely. But, Terry Gilliam is behind this, so I think it his right to do with his artistic creation as he will.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple card 1

Apple Ending Apple Card Partnership With Goldman Sachs

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:09 pm PST by
Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card. Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the Apple Card and the Apple Savings account....
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.2 Beta 4

Tuesday November 28, 2023 12:18 pm PST by
Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality. We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2. Default Notification Sound Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to ...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
Apple 5G Modem Feature Triad

Apple to Discontinue Custom 5G Modem Development, Claim Reports

Wednesday November 29, 2023 4:19 am PST by
Apple is discontinuing in-house modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own custom 5G modem chip, according to unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia. According to the operator of news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, supply chain sources related to Apple's 5G modem departments claim that the company's attempts to develop its own modem have...
All New CarPlay Five New Features Article 2

What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

Tuesday November 28, 2023 7:44 am PST by
At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more. Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared...
Apple Logo

Apple Discontinued These 5 Products This Year

Monday November 27, 2023 7:03 am PST by
As the end of 2023 nears, now is a good opportunity to look back at some of the devices and accessories that Apple discontinued throughout the year. Apple products discontinued in 2023 include the iPhone 13 mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MagSafe Battery Pack, MagSafe Duo Charger, and leather accessories. Also check out our lists of Apple products discontinued in 2022 and 2021. iPhone Mini ...
iOS 17

iOS 17.1.2 Update for iPhone Likely to Be Released This Week

Monday November 27, 2023 8:24 am PST by
Apple will likely release iOS 17.1.2 this week, based on mounting evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs in recent days. As a minor update, iOS 17.1.2 should be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues might be addressed. Some users have continued to experience Wi-Fi issues on iOS 17.1.1, so perhaps iOS 17.1.2 will include the same fix for Wi-Fi...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...