Time Bandits cancelled by Apple TV+

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV
Apple TV+ time-travelling fantasy has run out of time -- Taika Waititi's "Time Bandits" will not return for a second season.

Woman with curly blonde hair and blue headband, wearing a red coat, with another blurred person in the background.
Lisa Kudrow in "Time Bandits"

The aim of turning the 1981 hot movie "Time Bandits" into a series for Apple TV+ has been going on since before the streamer even launched. Back in 2018, the show was known to be in active development.

Deadline, which broke the news of the cancellation, says that Apple bought the rights to the movie from a consortium including Paramount Television Studios. Just as with the original film, the TV version was produced by the UK's HandMade Films.



Despite a cast that starred Lisa Kudrow, and a crew that included creators Jemaine Clement, Iain Morris and Taika Waititi, the show failed to attract a large enough audience in the US. It reportedly fared better in the UK, but not enough to warrant continuing.

The cancellation comes after it's been reported that Apple has been trying to trim the budget for Apple TV+. Just on theatrical releases of its movies, Apple is said to have budgeted $1 billion annually -- although it's now also cut back on this.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    foregoneconclusionforegoneconclusion Posts: 2,798member
    This is one of those shows where you wonder why they were so interested in the original IP if they didn't have a very good idea of what to do with it. 
    jeffharristmaylotonesStrangeDays
  • Reply 2 of 10
    jeffharrisjeffharris Posts: 822member
    I saw that someone "remade" Time Bandits and just thought WHY?

    Just go to Terry Gilliam's original film. Absolutely GREAT!
    tmaylotonesStrangeDays
  • Reply 3 of 10
    XedXed Posts: 2,806member

    Is AppleTV+ turning into the new FOX Network?
    I saw that someone "remade" Time Bandits and just thought WHY?

    Just go to Terry Gilliam's original film. Absolutely GREAT!

    It was great but in terms of film making advancements and visual quality time has caught up with it. Remaking a film 4 years after it was released for a money grab would be suspect, but this is 4 decades.
    Ofer
  • Reply 4 of 10
    grouse675grouse675 Posts: 8member
    I really wanted to like it and really wanted it to be good but it had no idea what it wanted to be. Essentially it just wasn't funny or silly or crazy enough and it just became oddly repetitive which given the cast and the budgets and the expansive nature of we can go anywhere in time... ought to have helped. I think it honestly missed Gilliam's madness. It felt like an homage rather than its own thing. Or maybe, Time Bandits really is just a movie and can't hold the expansion of a longer treatment. But kudos for trying... 
    tmaylotonesOfer
  • Reply 5 of 10
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,033member
    grouse675 said:
    I really wanted to like it and really wanted it to be good but it had no idea what it wanted to be. Essentially it just wasn't funny or silly or crazy enough and it just became oddly repetitive which given the cast and the budgets and the expansive nature of we can go anywhere in time... ought to have helped. I think it honestly missed Gilliam's madness. It felt like an homage rather than its own thing. Or maybe, Time Bandits really is just a movie and can't hold the expansion of a longer treatment. But kudos for trying... 
    The narrative format of TB could lend itself to a miniseries I think, an episode in each time/adventure. But I didn’t watch this as the thought of it not being Gilliam or the merry crew just turned me off 
  • Reply 6 of 10
    erioerio Posts: 30member
    I tried watching and couldn't continue—it turned me off for some reason. However, I did prefer The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin :#



    chasm
  • Reply 7 of 10
    XedXed Posts: 2,806member
    erio said:
    I tried watching and couldn't continue—it turned me off for some reason. However, I did prefer The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin :# 
    Dick Turpin was silly fun.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    ralphabetralphabet Posts: 11member
    Maybe I'm the only one, but I really enjoyed it. I thought Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's characters were hilarious. 
  • Reply 9 of 10
    ForumPostForumPost Posts: 72member
    erio said:
    I tried watching and couldn't continue—it turned me off for some reason. However, I did prefer The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin :#



    The first 2-3 episodes weren't that good IMO but then it started to get better. I would say the same with Turpin.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    spliff monkeyspliff monkey Posts: 886member
    ralphabet said:
    Maybe I'm the only one, but I really enjoyed it. I thought Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's characters were hilarious. 
    Nah. I thought it was allot of good humored fun as well. Sad to see it not renewed. First seasons are always rough and this series took a few eps to get you into it. I guess no one got past ep 2. They could have just done some re-working and it would have been great. 
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