Apple Wants To Turn ‘Time Bandits’ Movie Into A TV Series

Apple is reportedly close to sealing a deal that would allow it to transform the 1980s fantasy movie “Time Bandits” into a TV series. Other details about the project have also been uncovered.

Deadline learned from sources Friday that Apple is closing a deal for the rights over the Terry Gilliam-directed film. What this would do is allow Apple to turn the movie into a TV series for its own streaming service.

Apple’s TV show is said to be made with Anonymous Content, Paramount Television and Media Rights Capital. Gilliam will still be part of the project, but instead of helming it, he will serve as a non-writing executive producer.

“Time Bandits” is an adventure movie that tackles bravery, imagination and the nature of dreams. It chronicles the adventures of an 11-year-old buy named Kevin, who stumbles upon six dwarfs one night. The mythical creatures have with them a map that contains information on treasures found in various historical eras.

The main conflict in the film has to do with the fact that the dwarfs stole the map from an evil being called the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is then eager to catch the group and retrieve the map for his own purposes. Before he could do this, Kevin and the dwarfs go on an adventure that involves meeting many historical and fictional characters, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood.

The movie starred Craig Warnock, John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Kenny Baker, David Warner, Ian Holm, Jim Broadbent, and Katherine Helmond, among others.

Should Apple successfully secure the rights to the film, the “Time Bandits” TV series will join the Cupertino giant’s numerous TV show projects that are in the works. Apple’s shows span genres from drama to comedy and even shows for kids, as per MacRumors.

In May, it was revealed that Apple tapped “Once Upon A Time” co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis for its “Amazing Stories” revival after Bryan Fuller’s exit from the project in February.