“Time Bandits” has been canceled by Apple TV+ after one season Variety has confirmed.
The fantasy series, starring Lisa Kudrow, follows a group of thieves and their newest recruit – an 11-year-old boy named Kevin (Kal-El Tuck) – as they jump through time and space to plunder riches. Jemaine Clement, Iain Morris and Taika Waititi created the series adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s 1981 cult classic, with Clement and Morris serving as co-showrunners.
In addition to Kudrow and Tuck, the cast includes Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Charlyne Yi, Rune Temte, Rachel House, Kiera Thompson, James Dryden, Felicity Ward, Francesca Mills and Imaan Hadchiti.
Clement, Morris and Waititi wrote and directed select episodes of Season 1 of “Time Bandits”; they also co-produced with Garrett Basch, Jane Stanton for Handmade Films and Tim Coddington. The now defunct Paramount TV Studios co-produced with Anonymous Content’s AC Studios and MRC Television.
In July, Morris spoke with Variety about introducing “Time Bandits” to a new audience.
“I think ‘Time Bandits’ is actually almost the lost classic,” he said. “You tell a lot of people and they’ve never heard of it, but you meet other people and it’s their favorite movie. But they are quite rare. So when you bring these brilliant ideas of people and these brilliant worlds and expand them and change them and introduce them to new audiences, I think that’s great. Some of the best songs ever made are covers.”
News of the cancellation comes less than a month after Season 1 of “Time Bandits” dropped on Apple TV+. The ten-episode first season premiered with two episodes on July 24 and released two new episodes weekly through August 21.