‘Time Bandits’ Show Revives Monty Python Film with Lisa Kudrow Ensemble

Adapting a cult-classic film into a television series is a formidable challenge, but for Lisa Kudrow and her team on “Time Bandits,” it presented an opportunity to delve deeper into an intriguing world.

“The series version of a film means you’re gonna expand and really go into some more details about that world, and that’s what I was excited about,” Kudrow shared in a recent interview. “It was really fun.”

“Time Bandits,” streaming on Apple TV+ from July 24, is based on the iconic 1981 film directed by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam and co-written by Michael Palin. Both the original movie and the series follow a group of time-traveling thieves, led by Penelope, played by Kudrow. They embark on an adventurous quest through time alongside Kevin, an 11-year-old history enthusiast, as they try to save his parents from evil forces.

Although the series maintains key details and elements from the original film, creators Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement emphasized the importance of the show having its own identity.

“We had to be different as not to just be thieving or tracing over what they had,” Clement remarked.

One of the significant changes from the original movie is that the bandits are not portrayed by actors with dwarfism. This decision attracted criticism from the dwarfism community when casting was initially announced. Abbie Purvis, granddaughter of original film actor Jack Purvis, criticized the choice on TikTok, stating, “For a generation that is so big on talking about inclusivity and diversity and making sure that everyone’s heard, this whole casting choice just seems absurd.”

Waititi explained that the initial script did feature characters with dwarfism but he didn’t believe that the film “should be defined because of the presence of little people in it.”

Eventually, the team opted for a different group of actors. Clement acknowledged the difficulty in making this decision, highlighting two sides of the debate: the risk of stereotyping little people as magical creatures and the danger of reducing job opportunities for smaller actors.

In response to the backlash, Clement revealed that they added parts for smaller actors, and if the series continues into a second season, these roles would be expanded.

Waititi and Clement themselves appear in recurring roles within the show. Their previous works include collaborations on “What We Do in the Shadows” and Waititi’s direction in films like “Jojo Rabbit” and the “Thor” movies.

The pivotal role of Kevin is played by Kal-El Tuck, who stated he refrained from watching the original film to ensure his portrayal remained unique.

“I wanted to be my Kevin, no one else’s Kevin,” Tuck pointed out. “I wanted to be my way of doing Kevin.”

Kudrow lauded her young co-star, calling him a “giving actor” and noting that much of the bandits’ playful banter was spontaneous. Initially, Kudrow admitted feeling apprehensive about the project.

“I was, of course, scared, like ‘Uh oh, they’ll think they made a mistake,’ because you can’t help it, you have that insecurity,” Kudrow said, adding that working on the set felt like “playing.”

While it does deviate from the beloved film, “Time Bandits” aims to introduce the story to a new audience and stay true to the humor and charm of the original.

“There’s always a pressure of making anything, but we don’t want to anger fans of the original movie, of course,” Clement said. Waititi humorously added: “We’re scared of fans.”

Source: Associated Press