Television Series
Time Bandits
2024
Filmed In
Wellington
Towns & Areas
Wellington CBD · Remutaka Range · Queen Elizabeth Park
The Story
A wildly imaginative, comedic time-travel adventure series adapted from Terry Gilliam's beloved 1981 film. The story follows a brilliant 11-year-old history buff who discovers a time portal in his bedroom and joins a ragtag group of historical thieves.
The Stars
Lisa Kudrow, Kal-El Tuck, and Charlyne Yi.
Behind the Lens
Co-created, written, and directed by Kiwi comedy geniuses Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. Waititi and Clement adapted Gilliam's original film for television, expanding its premise across a full season.
Why NZ?
Wellington is the home turf for Taika and Jemaine, offering an incredible variety of locations within a short radius. Production transformed Wellington's CBD into 1920s Harlem, used the Remutaka Range to double for the Great Wall of China, and built a full-scale replica of Stonehenge in Queen Elizabeth Park. Few cities offer the production flexibility to become 1920s Harlem, ancient China, and Stonehenge within the same short radius. Few cities anywhere could plausibly become three entirely different historical settings within a single season's shoot.
On Set
Lisa Kudrow has said she was cast after being contacted directly over Instagram DM, reportedly joking in her reply, "Am I the piñata…" Taika Waititi wore a "Smelly Cat" t-shirt to set on her first day, a nod to her Friends character. Few shows attempt this many distinct historical settings within a single season's budget.
Legacy
Adapted from Terry Gilliam's beloved 1981 film of the same name, the Apple TV+ series brought the time-travelling premise to a new generation.
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