Time Bandits is a fantasy adventure television series created by Jemaine Clement, Iain Morris, and Taika Waititi, based on characters from the 1981 film of the same directed by Terry Gilliam. The series premiered on July 24, 2024, on Apple TV+. In September 2024, the series was canceled after one season.
| Time Bandits | |
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 Promotional poster | |
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| Based on | |
| Starring |
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| Composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| Country of origin |
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| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
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| Running time | 31-46 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | July 24 – August 21, 2024 |
Premise
editThe 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.[2]
Cast
editMain
edit- Lisa Kudrow as Penelope
- Kal-El Tuck as Kevin
- Tadhg Murphy as Alto
- Roger Jean Nsengiyumva as Widgit
- Rune Temte as Bittelig
- Charlyne Yi as Judy
- Rachel House as Fianna
- Kiera Thompson as Saffron
Recurring
edit- Jonathan Brugh as Damon
- Jemaine Clement as Pure Evil
- Taika Waititi as Supreme Being
- James Dryden as Mr. Haddock
- Felicity Ward as Mrs. Haddock
Guest
edit- Marley Mackrill as Mikey Haddock
- Ross Noble as Stonehenge builder
- Zoë Ventoura as Cassandra
- Nikita Chronis as Xanthus
- Génesis Mancheren Ab'äj as Lady Sak K'uk
- Con O'Neill as the Sheriff of Nottingham
- Matt King as De Plume
- Shaun Micallef as Town Mayor
- George Houvardas as Ajax the Lesser
- Mark Gatiss as John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
- Hammed Animashaun as Mansa Musa
- Kountry Wayne as Bumpy Johnson
Episodes
edit| No. | Title [3] | Directed by | Teleplay by [1] | Original release date [4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kevin Haddock" | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement & Iain Morris & Taika Waititi | July 24, 2024 |
| 2 | "Mayan" | Taika Waititi | Jemaine Clement & Iain Morris & Taika Waititi | July 24, 2024 |
| 3 | "Medieval" | Jackie van Beek | Jemaine Clement & Iain Morris | July 31, 2024 |
| 4 | "Prohibition" | Jeff Tomsic | Akilah Green | July 31, 2024 |
| 5 | "Georgian" | Jeff Tomsic | Melanie Bracewell | August 7, 2024 |
| 6 | "Mansa Musa" | Armagan Ballantyne | Tyrell Williams | August 7, 2024 |
| 7 | "Ice Age" | Jemaine Clement | Jemaine Clement | August 14, 2024 |
| 8 | "Home Again" | Yana Gorskaya | Jemaine Clement | August 14, 2024 |
| 9 | "Pell-Mell" | Iain Morris | Sam Bain | August 21, 2024 |
| 10 | "Fortress of Darkness" | Tim van Dammen | Iain Morris | August 21, 2024 |
Production
editIn July 2018, it was announced that Apple Inc. had closed a deal to develop a television series version of the Terry Gilliam film, with Gilliam set to serve as executive producer.[5] In March 2019, Taika Waititi joined the project, set to co-write and direct the pilot episode.[6] Waititi stated the series would be 10 episodes, and revealed to be a co-writer alongside Iain Morris and Jemaine Clement.[7] In September 2022, Lisa Kudrow was cast.[2] On September 16, 2024, Apple TV+ canceled the series after one season.[8]
Production took place in New Zealand and Toronto in late 2022 and early 2023.[9] The series was shot in Wellington,[10] appearing as 1920s New York when shooting began in October 2022.[11]
Release
editTime Bandits premiered on July 24, 2024, on Apple TV+.[12] The show was released two episodes a week through August 21, 2024.[13]
Reception
editThe review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 80% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 49 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "This reimagining of Time Bandits swaps out the original film's eccentricity for a more family-friendly sensibility, delivering an energetic adventure that gets more absorbing as it goes along."[3] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
Controversy
editIn 2024, Charlyne Yi said that while filming the series, Yi was constantly assaulted by a male actor who, in the process, injured Yi's back. Yi claimed the actor in question attempted to gaslight producers and HR about the incident to protect his image.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b "Time Bandits". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (September 28, 2022). "Time Bandits: Lisa Kudrow To Lead Cast Of Taika Waititi's Apple Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ a b "Time Bandits: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ "Shows A-Z – Time Bandits on Apple TV+". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 27, 2018). "Apple Makes Rights Deal To Turn Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits Into TV Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie; D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 11, 2019). "Taika Waititi To Co-Write & Direct Time Bandits Series In Works At Apple From Paramount, Anonymous Content & MRC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ McLean, Craig (July 7, 2022). "How Taika Waititi brought rock'n'roll to Hollywood (and Thor)". The Face. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 16, 2024). "'Time Bandits' Canceled By Apple TV+ After 1 Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (June 27, 2022). "Taika Waititi's Star Wars Movie Won't Shoot This Year". TheWrap. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Fuller, Piers (September 6, 2022). "Taika Waititi's new Time Bandits project to be filmed in Wairarapa". Stuff. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Evans, Chris (October 3, 2022). "Taika Waititi's Time Bandits doubles New Zealand for New York". KFTV.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ Coggan, Devan (May 20, 2024). "Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement tease their Time Bandits TV show in exclusive first look". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Milici, Lauren (July 9, 2024). "Apple unveils the first nostalgia-fueled trailer for Taika Waititi's reimagining of an '80s sci-fi cult classic". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Time Bandits: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Dolak, Kevin (May 16, 2024). "Charlyne Yi Says They Were Physically and Mentally Abused on 'Time Bandits' Series Set". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
External links
edit- Time Bandits at IMDb