If there's one thing that has been confirmed time and again in the last decade or so, it's that people love a reboot – so many movies and series have returned in new guises to rave reviews.
The latest to join those ranks is a slightly less predictable one, but Apple TV+ will be hoping that it helps to cement its place as the best streaming service available right now. It's reviving Time Bandits as a streaming series, starring Friends' Lisa Kudrow.
The show was announced a while back, but we've now got the double whammy of both a release date (24 July, at least for its premiere) and the first teaser image of the show, which you can see up above, and in the announcement post from Apple below.
Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement reimagine the 1981 film about a group of time-travelers blundering through history. pic.twitter.com/Fu6yfVg9qeJuly 1, 2024
Apple has already confirmed the brains behind the show – Hollywood darling Taika Waititi and old collaborator Jemaine Clement – which should ensure that it has plenty of the whimsy and off-beat charm that so marked the original movie.
That movie came out all the way back in 1981, so it's of a really venerable age now, but it's still entirely beloved thanks to whacky performances and a fun tone. It tells the story of a gang of oddballs who travel through time having fairly low-stakes adventures most of the time, which seems like a perfect milieu for Waititi.
Time Bandits isn't something to take lightly, though – it has a longstanding 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes to its name, so it's hardly some obscure franchise that can be retooled as its new showrunners see fit. It'll be fascinating to see how the team have changed things.
Along with Kudrow, the show has a pretty eclectic cast of smaller names to boast, as well as what Apple calls "special guest appearances by Waititi and Clement" – which shouldn't come as any surprise to fans of either of the two.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
We know that the show will run through 10 episodes, and that this is being billed as "Season 1" rather noticeably, so you'd assume that Apple hopes to make more down the line. It'll help fill out Apple TV+'s family-friendly content, too, which is an area where it has some catching up to do compared to the likes of Disney+ and Netflix.
Max is T3's Staff Writer for the Tech section – with years of experience reporting on tech and entertainment. He's also a gaming expert, both with the games themselves and in testing accessories and consoles, having previously flexed that expertise at Pocket-lint as a features editor.
-
After Borderlands, new Apple TV+ show looks like Cate Blanchett's return to form
The star is turning a corner with Disclaimer
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
The 5 best kids movies streaming now on Netflix, Disney, Amazon and Apple TV+
Digital nanny to the rescue: these are the best kids movies streaming right now for the holidays
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Apple's major sci-fi reboot gets full trailer ahead of imminent release this month
Time Bandits looks like time-hopping fun
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
When is Black Friday 2024 – this Friday or next? Here's the official answer
Black Friday is on 29 November in 2024 – a week later than the year previous. But that's not stopped retailers putting on their sales...
By Mike Lowe Published
-
Forget Black Friday, F1 24 is completely free for a limited time
This top racing game has a free weekend
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
My girlfriend's fave Apple TV+ show is back – it's 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
Bad Sisters is a cult favourite, and it's back now
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Netflix's no.1 show proves videogame adaptions can still be king
Arcane is absolutely smashing it
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
HBO's huge sci-fi show gets first-look reviews that might shock you
Dune: Prophecy might have an uphill struggle
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
I can't wait for massive Netflix action movie with Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman
Carry-On looks sublimely silly
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
3 Apple TV+ shows to watch after Slow Horses
Looking for another crime drama to get your teeth into? Check out these recommendations.
By Brian Comber Published
-
HBO's best new shows revealed in massive new reveal-all trailer
HBO is going big in 2025
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Love Netflix's Drive To Survive? Catch this upcoming series about an F1 icon
Senna will tell a brilliant story
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
After J-Lo's Netflix sci-fi flop, the star takes to Amazon Prime in heartwarming turn
Unstoppable looks hugely heart-warming
By Max Freeman-Mills Published