As a fan who’s been on a rollercoaster ride of delightful cinematic experiences, I must say that the reimagining of Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits” is an absolute treat! The wacky and fantastical whimsy it exudes is a testament to the brilliant minds behind it – Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Lisa Kudrow.
In a more whimsical fashion than many top Apple TV+ series, the television adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits, boasts an excess of fantastical charm. It’s as unconventional and absurd as time-travel stories can be. Part of this is due to the performance of star Lisa Kudrow and her fellow cast members, but a significant portion can be attributed to the creative minds of co-creators Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, whose previous work has influenced the comedy genre on streaming platforms.
In a conversation with Waititi and Clement during the lead-up to Season 1 of “Time Bandits,” I was curious about how TopMob’s Marvel Cinatic Universe films, specifically “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” might have influenced this series. Additionally, I wanted to know if their shared work on the vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” had any impact on the development of this show. Unsurprisingly, Clement credited the expansive nature of it all to the Marvel films, stating that they provided a basis for the scale of the series.
Definitely Thor helped, you know, because the scale of this is quite big like a movie.
Absolutely, having a substantial budget and large-scale production can be beneficial for such a daring reimagining, yet they’re meaningless without a skilled individual capable of transforming funds into success. Taika Waititi identified the key player for this series as the person who possesses that talent, expressing it thusly:
Apart from me, there’s Ra Vincent, a skilled production designer who collaborated with me on the Thor series and contributed to all the Lord of the Rings films, The Hobbit trilogy, and more. Given his extensive experience in constructing detailed sets, he tends to build them at full scale. I would occasionally ask him, “Ra, why make it so large for just one episode?” However, upon filming, it looked spectacular. Ra enjoys creating things on a grand scale because if the effort is made, it should be done right. In essence, his work is quite impressive.
Without a doubt, Ra Vincent isn’t just starting out in the film industry. He began his career sculpting for Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” films, later moving onto set decoration duties for “The Hobbit” trilogy and “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” Throughout this journey, he worked alongside Waititi and Clement, and since then, has taken on production design roles in movies like “What We Do in the Shadows,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Next Goal Wins,” and “Our Flag Means Death,” as well as the pilot of “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Apart from “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” and “Eagle vs Shark,” Vincent has been involved in most of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s mainstream productions. I believe fans would concur that the visual aesthetics of these projects are accurately tailored to suit each story’s mood and tone. For instance, the vampire’s house in “What We Do in the Shadows” is a remarkable design achievement.
Jemaine Clement graciously lauded Ra Vincent for contributing to a series not previously mentioned, and he also expressed that the approach he and Waititi took with “Shadows” was similar in some ways to what they did with “Time Bandits,” expanding upon an existing narrative. In his own words:
Absolutely, Ra was part of the Wellington Paranormal crew with me, and that project had a minimal budget and required us to work swiftly. This combination of large-scale filmmaking under Taika’s direction and small-screen television production meant we needed to create something impressive in a short amount of time. Ra played a significant role in this. Interestingly, we both worked on the transition of What We Do in the Shadows from the movie to the TV series as well. Our aim was to develop a unique spin-off, and I believe we applied a similar strategy here: preserving the essence of the film while creating distinct characters and a standalone narrative.
One of the most hilarious shows available on Hulu is Time Bandits, a production that successfully achieved its outlandish visuals by filming within enclosed sets known as The Volume. Taika Waititi, who honed his skills in this area while directing episodes of The Mandalorian, was instrumental in creating some of the scenes for the Lisa Kudrow-led series. While it’s hard to say if he would have been affected by his involvement with the MCU or his own television adaptation had he not joined either, it’s clear that we are fortunate to have the results as they are! In Penelope, we place our faith!
As a dedicated gamer, I’m excited to share that you can now stream the classic adventure Time Bandits on Apple TV+, with the last two episodes premiering on Wednesday, August 21. Keep an eye out for all the exciting Apple TV+ shows lined up for the 2024 TV schedule and beyond!
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2024-08-20 22:38