Apple's Upcoming 'Time Bandits' Series to Be Directed by Taika Waititi

Monday March 11, 2019 12:00 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Taika Watiti, known for his work on "Thor: Ragnarok," will direct Apple's adaptation of Terry Gilliam's 1981 fantasy television series "Time Bandits," reports Variety.

Apple acquired the rights to the "Time Bandits" series back in the summer of 2018. The original show featured the story of an imaginative 11-year-old boy named Kevin who was sucked into a fantastical adventure with a band of dwarves during the Napoleonic Wars in Italy.


Kevin and the band of dwarves travel through time using a magical map, visiting ancient Greece, the Titanic, and more, all while fighting off an evil being intent on stealing the time travel map.

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


In addition to "Thor: Ragnarok," Waititi is known for his work on "What We Do in the Shadows" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople." He is also directing a "What We Do in the Shadows" television series for FX.

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7thson
9 months ago
This is promising news. Probably the first I’ve heard that makes Apple’s foray into tv/movies that sounds intriguing.
Rating: 13 Votes
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cardfan
9 months ago
The trainwreck continues...
Rating: 11 Votes
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calzon65
9 months ago
Apple the movie studio … didn't they once make computers?
Rating: 9 Votes
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jedifaka
9 months ago
Sure wish the movie industry - even the newest studios - would let go of the obsession with remakes. People are out there writing scripts all the time. Surely there's something worth making. Something we haven't seen before.
Rating: 9 Votes
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AngerDanger
9 months ago
Fingers crossed this won't hinder the production of seasons 3—300 of Carpool Karaoke. :(
Rating: 8 Votes
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Attirex
9 months ago
Time Bandits movie is an often-overlooked gem. Love it.

Millennials: Time what movie? Is it on Grindr?
Rating: 7 Votes
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cmaier
9 months ago

Fingers crossed this won't hinder the production of seasons 3—300 of Carpool Karaoke. :(


Let’s tie it all together. They should do a carpool karaoke with Flight of the Concords.
Rating: 6 Votes
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WatchFromAfar
9 months ago

It's a great movie, but I'm skeptical they'll be able to capture the same "magic" the original movie had.

Maybe it'll be clever and quirky and whimsical in its own way, but so many times when studios try to recreate the unintentional/unexpected successful formula of a cult hit/classic, they inevitably screw it up.

For example, I have a hard time seeing today's uber-PC Apple letting a cast of dwarves beat the crap out of and berate each other, which is, of course, hilarious to watch in the movie.

Instead of people saying "watch this; it recreates the magic of the original" how about they say "watch the film that came out 38 years ago; it's still a classic and doesn't need "re-imagining"".
Rating: 5 Votes
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cmaier
9 months ago

Apple the movie studio … didn't they once make computers?


Haha! Good one. Because it’s impossible to do two things at once! I like it.
Rating: 5 Votes
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BernyMac
9 months ago
Taika Waititi, a promising director. His work on "What We Do in the Shadows" was really well done. I can't wait for his take on Time Bandits.
Rating: 4 Votes

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