Terry Gilliam’s Beloved ‘Time Bandits’ Is Slated To Become A New TV Series Once Apple Has Acquired It
A few years ago, Terry Gilliam discussed the possibility of turning his beloved movie Time Bandits into a television series, and now it seems that this may have finally come to fruition as Apple is reported to be in the process of acquiring the rights to the film for a brand new series.
As SYFY Wire reports, back in 2015 Gilliam took part in a webchat conducted by The Guardian in which he stated that one of the projects he was working on was to get Time Bandits onto television screens everywhere. In this, he appears to have succeeded splendidly.
“We are involved in two possibilities — one, a TV series based on Time Bandits, another based on a script Richard LaGravenese and I wrote after Fisher King, called The Defective Detective.”
Time Bandits was released in 1981 by Handmade Films and follows the exploits of an 11-year-old history-loving boy named Kevin, who is able to travel at will through time aided by six dwarfs and a magical map. In the film he is seen striking up adventures with characters like Agamemnon and Robin Hood, while also encountering “Evil” and the “Supreme Being.”
According to Deadline, Apple is currently reported to be very close to finishing up a deal to acquire the rights to Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits so that it can be turned into a TV series.
Apple is planning a TV show based on Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits https://t.co/TiPnqOv0Dy pic.twitter.com/P7HcQpywu0
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) July 27, 2018
The new TV series will be a co-production affair between the entities of Media Rights Capital, Anonymous Content, and Paramount Television, with Terry Gilliam acting as executive producer, although in a non-writing capacity.
Apple’s streaming service knows its audience well and is vying to get their hands on as much sci-fi and fantasy material as they possibly can. For instance, back in April it was announced that they were planning a new television series revolving around Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy.
Apple has also successfully spearheaded a campaign to resurrect Steven Spielberg’s 1981 TV series Amazing Stories, so their soon-to-be acquisition of Gilliam’s Time Bandits will be an extremely happy bonus for them.
It should be noted that the original Time Bandits had an extremely strong cast, with Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, David Warner, Peter Vaughn, Ralph Richardson, and Katherine Helmond all serving the film well with their impeccable acting skills, and it is not known at this time who will be starring in the cast of the new series.
While the deal has not been finalized yet, if Apple succeeds in acquiring the rights to Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits and turning it into a TV series, we may soon be seeing a new wave of historical characters that travel through time and space gracing television screens everywhere.
