Hollywood is perhaps the cradle of most controversies today. Despite the push for “inclusivity” on the internet and the film industry, there are some issues that might not sit well with everyone. And we have seen these clashes more often quite recently, as filmmakers and showrunners try to bend fantasies to their view.
Renowned director/actor Taika Waititi is counted among those creators who often go off the original script to add their own flair. And it seems he’s doing the same with his upcoming project, a remake of ‘Time Bandits‘, but in an unexpected way.
Waititi is not usually the kind to shy away from controversies. Will his latest move ruffle a few more feathers?
The Time Bandit reboot might change dwarfs to normal-sized humans
Taika Waititi rose to fame due to his work on the later sequels of MCU’s Thor saga, where the fan response was quite 50-50. While they loved Ragnarok, Love and Thunder was criticized to the ground after fans felt Waititi went a bit overboard with his own style, ignoring Thor’s own charisma.
Waititi will most likely not be returning for the fifth installment in Thor’s storyline, however, he will be seen haggling with another fantasy. His upcoming project is a TV remake of Terry Gilliam’s 1981 original film Time Bandits. And the Jojo Rabbit filmmaker has once again managed to raise quite a few eyebrows.
The original movie had dwarf characters as the members of the titular Time Bandits, which was quite central to the storyline. However, a first look at Waititi’s version shows an absence of dwarfs, leading many to believe they have been removed or changed altogether.
However, no official statement has been released by the production or Waititi, so far.
A first look at Taika Waititi’s Time Bandits
Just a week ago, a first look at Waititi’s new TV show Time Bandits was released. Fans of the original film have been looking forward to its on-screen revival, and Waititi’s characteristic hold on comedy almost guarantees an adventure full of laughter. However, the first-look image confused quite a lot of them.
This is because the iconic dwarf characters that represented the Time Bandits themselves could not be seen in the photo. Instead, the protagonist, who is a young boy named Kevin played by Kal-El Tuck, is accompanied by five normal-sized actors, one of them being the FRIENDS star Lisa Kudrow.
Waititi’s Time Bandits are played by Tasha Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Kiera Thompson, and Rune Temte, who are led by Kudrow’s Penelope, a new character developed exclusively for the show. These characters are supposedly different from the original ones from the 1981 film, and even their names are different. However, we do not know for sure if the dwarfs have been completely removed.
Time Bandits will premiere on July 24 and can be streamed on Apple TV+.
