From the fate of the main character's parents to various historical figures – we tell you how the new "Time Bandits" differs from Terry Gilliam's timeless classic.

The first season of Taika Waititi's series "Time Bandits" shows many differences from the original 1981 film by Terry Gilliam. With 10 episodes, the creators were able to expand the story, though the framework and concept remain the same. All changes and innovations are in our article.

This article contains spoilers for the film "Time Bandits" and the first season of the Apple TV+ series of the same name.

In the Apple TV+ series, the bandits are not played by little people

The most obvious difference between the series "Time Bandits" and the classic film is the casting of the bandits themselves. In the original film, they were played by six actors with dwarfism, but the Apple TV+ series took a different path. This sparked some debate when the cast of the multi-episode project was announced. Many felt that this decision would take away potential opportunities from little person actors.

Interestingly, the dwarfism of the characters in the original film was not an important plot element and was played up literally once, when they participated in a performance for Napoleon, who was self-conscious about his short stature. One could say it was a kind of inclusivity ahead of its time.

If in the 1981 film all the time bandits were white cisgender men, then in the Apple TV+ series the main team consists of three men (one of them black) and two women, one of whom is even their leader (played by Lisa Kudrow).

Little people are still present in Waititi's series, but as secondary characters – servants of the Supreme Being. There is a possibility that their role in the plot will be significantly expanded in the second season (if it happens).

The bandits get more development in the series

The first season of the series "Time Bandits" allowed the show to delve deeper into the characters' personalities. The original bandit team was akin to Snow White's seven dwarfs and consisted entirely of stereotypical images. This is partially preserved in the series: Bittelig is the strongman, Alto is the dramatic actor, and so on. However, as the plot develops, it turns out that each character has some kind of personal drama behind them.

This change is an improvement over the original film, as it added several touching and heartfelt scenes, allowing viewers to become more attached to the characters.

Kevin's sister was not in the 1981 film

In the film, Kevin (Craig Warnock) is the only child and the main character of his timeline. However, in the series, his younger sister Saffron (Kiera Thompson) also travels through time and joins him and the bandits in the last few episodes.

This gave Kevin (Kal-El Tuck) from the series "Time Bandits" several interesting storylines, as he feels like an outsider in his family but eventually bonds with Saffron.

Differences between historical figures in the series and film

In both versions of Time Bandits, Kevin and the bandits travel through time and meet various historical figures. Kevin finds this interesting due to his passion for history, while the bandits are simply looking for something to steal.

In the film, among the historical (and not so historical) figures are Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood. The biggest role is played by King Agamemnon, who adopts Kevin after he helps him kill the Minotaur. He was played by Sir Sean Connery himself.

The series allowed the characters to meet even more historical figures, including Zheng Yi Sao, Mansa Musa, the Earl of Sandwich, and the Trojan princess Cassandra.

The time periods and historical figures in the series and film do not overlap, which helped preserve the uniqueness of each, despite the shared concept.

Vincent and Pansy are not in the 2024 version

Two supporting characters in the original "Time Bandits" are Vincent and Pansy. Kevin and the time bandits meet this couple when they first arrive in the Middle Ages. Later, the pair reappear on the Titanic.

In the film, they are present for gags, as they behave as if they are the main characters. Their appearances are rare but memorable. And this, by the way, is one of the funniest performances by Shelley Duvall, known to all film fans from "The Shining."

Evil is stronger in the film

In the original film "Time Bandits," the heroes were pursued by Evil Genius (David Warner), who planned to steal the time map from them. To do this, he manipulated reality. He even took control of one of the bandits to lure the team into the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness.

In the series, Evil Genius has become Pure Evil (played by Jemaine Clement), and to obtain the map, he uses the demon Fianna. Additionally, he kidnaps Kevin's parents to lure Kevin into his lair.

In the film's final scenes, Evil demonstrates a multitude of abilities to fight various opponents that the bandits have brought to their side: from cowboys to a tank!

In the series, however, he mainly uses the services of minions. Although the sudden explosions of the latter are present in both the original and the new version.

The Supreme Being is a darker character in Taika Waititi's version

The Supreme Being, played in the series by Taika Waititi's co-writer, appears throughout the season, not just at the end as in Terry Gilliam's film.

Perhaps he doesn't have much screen time, but the Supreme Being has a greater influence on the plot due to his plan to create Earth-2. This plan involves erasing all history and all living beings on Earth to start over.

For Kevin and the bandits, this plan is as bad as Pure Evil's scheme to make the world miserable. In the film, the Supreme Being was a more pleasant character. He allowed the bandits to steal the time map as a test and then invited them to join him in creating the universe.

The fate of Pure Evil

At the end of the film "Time Bandits," the Supreme Being defeats Evil by setting him on fire before he can incinerate Kevin.

In Taika Waititi's show on Apple TV+, Pure Evil does not die at the end of the season. Pure Evil does not kill anyone except his minions who oppose him. He doesn't even really torture Kevin's parents, despite holding them captive (naturally, there are many jokes on this topic). The worst he does is torture the bandits and Saffron to convince Kevin to give him the time map.

In the end, Kevin does so in the first season finale, or at least that's what Pure Evil thinks. Instead, the boy swaps the lunchbox in which he kept the time map and gives Pure Evil a different one. The antagonist realizes this after everyone has left his Fortress, which turns out to be his punishment, but not his death. This means the character could return as the main villain in the second season.

Kevin doesn't have a Polaroid in the series

In the film, Kevin puts a Polaroid camera in his backpack at the very beginning and then takes it with him on his time travel journey. Throughout the story, he captures various important moments, which at the end of the film serve as proof that everything that happened was not a dream (and Sean Connery's wink as a firefighter too!).

The fate of Kevin's parents

At the end of the 1981 film "Time Bandits," Kevin's parents turned to coal, ignoring Kevin. When Evil burned, the Supreme Being warned the bandits to collect the fragments of concentrated Evil, as they could be deadly. When Kevin woke up in his bed, his house was on fire, presumably because his parents left food in the toaster.

Kevin's parents were obsessed with technology and argued about which gadgets they couldn't save from the fire. When they pulled out the toaster, Kevin noticed a piece of Evil in it and told his parents not to touch it, but they did anyway, and it exploded.

In the series, the parents were turned to coal in a different way. The demon Fianna did this while trying to get to Kevin and the time map in our time. However, Kevin and Saffron eventually save their parents, so they have a happy ending in the series. At least, based on the first season.

Adapted from ScreenRant material