Apple TV+ has released the first official trailer forTime Bandits, the new series from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, the duo behindthe very funnyWhat We Do in the Shadows.Based on the classic Terry Gilliam film,Time Banditsstars Lisa Kudrow as the leader of a merry band of misfit thieves whose travels through time and space are interrupted by a curious 11-year-old boy.
Kudrow, best known for her roles inFriendsandThe Comeback, headlines the ensemble cast ofTime Banditsas Penelope, the leader of a group of time-traveling thieves not too dissimilar from the beloved pirates of the tragicallyshort-lived Max seriesOur Flag Means Death— also produced by and starring Waititi. The trailer forTime Banditsbegins with 11-year-old Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), a history-obsessed kid who opens his wardrobe one day to find himself plopped on the beach in the midst of what appears to be a medieval raid. As Penelope explains, Kevin’s bedroom is a “time egress” that allows the titular bandits to travel the universe, sort of like the TARDIS inDoctor Who.
You can see both Clement and Waititi in the trailer for the series, in which they play supernatural characters locked in an eternal battle of good vs. evil. Clement plays the devilish Pure Evil, with Waititi as the godlike Supreme Being, who at one point rises from the ocean, gloriously shirtless with his hair flowing like King Triton during the climax ofThe Little Mermaid. In addition to producing and starring inTime Bandits, Clement and Waititi wrote and directed episodes of the series, with Clement serving as showrunner alongside Iain Morris (The Inbetweeners).
The official synopsis from Apple TV+ doesn’t give us much more to go on in terms of plot:
“Embark on a comedic, high-stakes journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history nerd. Together, they set out on a thrilling quest to save the boy’s parents — and the world.”
Time Banditsalso stars frequent Waititi collaborator Rachel House along with Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Charlyne Yi, Kiera Thompson, James Dryden, Felicity Ward, Francesca Mills, and Imaan Hadchiti.
Time Bandits Is Based on an ’80s Cult Classic
Time Bandits
An unpredictable journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin. Together, they set out on a thrilling quest to save the boy’s parents, and the world.
If the title sounds familiar to you, that’s becauseTime Banditsis inspired by the 1981 movie of the same name. Directed by Monty Python vet Terry Gilliam,Time Banditssimilarly follows Kevin, a young history nerd who finds himself whisked away on a wild journey through space and time.
One night, six little people who once worked for the Supreme Being come out of Kevin’s closet bearing a map. This is not just any map, but one that marks all the places where holes have opened up in the very fabric of time itself, with each spot denoting a specific time and place in history where treasure can be found. Kevin’s odyssey brings him face to face with famous historical figures like Napoleon (the great Ian Holm) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery).Time Banditsalso features several of Gilliam’s Monty Python cohorts, including John Cleese and Michael Palin.
Apple TV+ is releasing the first two episodes ofTime Banditson July 24, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.
