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GFM Films Plans 'Time Bandits' Reboot as Action Franchise for Kids
by Ethan Anderton
March 31, 2011
Source: Variety
Of all the filmmakers with material prime for some kind of remake or reboot tailored specifically for kids, director Terry Gilliam normally wouldn't be at the top of the list. But when you look back at the 1981 film Time Bandits, it's easy to see how the fantasy could be retooled for today's young audiences. That's the idea that GFM Films has as Variety reports the production company composed of former Handmade Films executives Guy Collins, Michael Ryan and Fred Hedman is currently developing a reboot of Time Bandits, and they're currently talking to an unnamed Hollywood producer to turn it into an action franchise for kids.
For those unfamiliar with the original film, here's the official synopsis:
Young Kevin's daydreams burst into astonishing and hilarious life when a band of time-traveling little men come crashing through his bedroom wardrobe and carry him off on an unbelievable crime spree, weaving through the greatest and strangest moments of history. The pint-sized plunderers filch from a neurotic Napoleon (Ian Holm), a dim-witted Robin Hood (John Cleese) and a heroic King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), leading to a showdown with the dark forces of Evil (David Warner)…all while keeping just one precarious step ahead of the wrath of The Supreme Being himself!
Of course part of the charm of the original film was Gilliam writing, producing and directing the feature with collaboration from many of his Monty Python cohorts. It'll be interesting to see how this fantasy film is developed for today's audiences, and just who they'll get to take part in it. Surely, it will be hard to top that original cast. I'm sure there's some hardcore Gilliam fans out there who may not be too pleased, but that's the way the cookie crumbles when it gets tossed in the remake machine that is Hollywood. Thoughts?
16 Comments
1
I hate you Hollywood.
Bluebond_2007 on Mar 31, 2011
2
the next logical question is when will we get the reboot for The Godfather...
happy camper on Mar 31, 2011
3
Hollywood with reboot anything with a pulse...
Nacmac on Mar 31, 2011
5
terrible idea. Let's just remake some other classics... Lawrence of Arabia? Casablanca? or do some sequels... Citizen Kane 2: Rosebudder or Return of Gone with the Wind? Cmon Hollywood, you're paying writers to rewrite. It's like you're throwing money away
Syntax Error on Mar 31, 2011
6
They will be hard pressed to out do the original. David Warner was the ultimate evil!
Gigerbrick on Mar 31, 2011
7
If they're gonna remake it they should at least ask Terry Gilliam to do it. Or maybe they want it to be Sky-kids-like crap anyways...
frank on Mar 31, 2011
8
no one is amused by your clown antics, you fucking clown. JUGGLE THIS. (grabs crotch)
mr. person on Mar 31, 2011
9
Typical
Phontsolo on Mar 31, 2011
10
Another unique movie that is timeless and sure to be a delight for today's young audience. I enjoyed Time Bandits in 1981 and can't wait to see the updated version.
Bettybmusing on Mar 31, 2011
11
terry gilliam wouldnt stop laughin at any exec asking him to be involved in a reboot!! stupid hollywood
Desispeed on Apr 1, 2011
12
They treat this film gem like trash by barely issuing it for sale or issuing it as bland and uncaring as any straight to DVD trash they prop up at cinemas and now they want to do this? FUCK you whoever came up with such an insulting idea. If this would have been done back when it was released, I would have been a happy child but now it's insulting to the film and its legacy. Why not allow Criterion to remaster the negatives at 4K and reissue it on bluray as the final definitive release? Oh no? Too obviously respectful? Ok then look, since that's to kind and or obvious for you, just do everyone the fucking favor of forgetting this like the last sacrilegious idea of rebooting the Back to the Future trilogy you no talent having greedy, rehashing shit, faceless, catalog barrel scrapping, nameless, backdoor fucks. My apologies for all of the F-Bombs but this rebooting rehashing has gotten out of hand. Especially when fucking with my two films tied for best childhood movie.
Johnny Neat on Apr 1, 2011
14
I'm failing to understand why there's this underlying implication that Time Bandits wasn't for kids in the first place. This leads me to conclude that either these executives haven't actually seen Time Bandits, or, they mean "for kids" in the sense of "insulting the intelligence of anyone over the age of three". ("They won't notice. They're only kids.") The magic of a film like Time Bandits, or a show such as Doctor Who, is that whilst they're made for children, their appeal is so broad that everyone winds up loving them; age ceases to be a barrier. Chances are, I'd wager, that if you enjoyed Time Bandits at 8, when it first came out, you still will. As such, I can't honestly retain the hope that they mean to continue Time Bandits, as brilliantly as it began, with further adventures. I'd still be wary of that, as it'd be a tall order, but there are talented writers out there who might, perhaps, be able to pull it off. As is, I suspect the best we'll see, if this proceeds, is some lobotomized production with as much in common with the original as the various Amiga relaunches that crop up every few years.
Porsupah on Apr 1, 2011
15
meh
A5J4DX on Nov 13, 2018
16
meh
A5J4DX on Nov 13, 2018
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