The series is based on the Terry Gilliam film of the same name and, in the 1981 movie, the gang of time-traveling thieves were all played by people of short stature. In Waititi’s version, however, it appears that the bandits are being played by average-height actors—although not all the casting details have yet been announced.

The move has been criticized by Abbie Purvis, a Scottish actress and the granddaughter of one of the actors in Gilliam’s film, as well as by disability rights campaigners.

Purvis said the casting for the 10-episode series, which is executive produced by Waititi and his long-time collaborator Jemaine Clement, was “tarnishing” her grandfather’s legacy.

Newsweek has reached out for comment to Waititi, Apple TV+ and Paramount Television Studios, which is co-producing the show along with AC Studios and MRC Television.

Details of the Time Bandits TV show were released late last month. Like the 1981 film, it follows the adventures of a boy called Kevin who discovers a time-travel portal in his bedroom. The cast is led by Friends star Lisa Kudrow, while Kal-El Tuck plays Kevin.

Purvis, 22, posted a video on TikTok two days ago to explain that she had initially been “over the moon” to hear about Waititi’s show, but was distraught when she saw the cast list. She was sharing the clip to social media, she said, in hopes that a “miracle” might happen.

She began: “My voice will probably never be heard because I’m simply just a girl in the middle of Scotland saying what needs to be said.”

The actress explained that her grandfather, Jack Purvis, had played the bandit Wally in the 1981 movie and said seeing actors of short stature leading a film had been transformational for the community.

“This was a film that changed the times and it was ahead of the times, to be honest, because people like me weren’t treated the same as they are now.”

Purvis added: “For a generation that is so big on talking about inclusivity and diversity and making sure that everyone’s heard, this whole casting choice is just absurd.”

She called on Waititi and the show’s producers to explain their casting decisions. “Please can someone answer me? Can you tell me why you’re tarnishing, not only my late grandfather’s legacy, but the other short actors in that film … just because it doesn’t fit your normality,” she said.

The Little People of America organization defines dwarfism as a “medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4'10” or shorter, among both men and women." People with dwarfism are often referred to as “little people” or “people of short stature” and it is a recognized condition under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the group said.

Disability advocates have also criticized the casting. Bethany Bale, policy and campaigns officer at Disability Rights UK, told Newsweek: “There’s a common phrase used in disability rights campaigning—‘Nothing about us without us’—to highlight the importance of disabled representation across all areas.

“However, what seems to be happening … is that, what was once a story that centered a group of disabled individuals is now a story that has chosen to deliberately exclude disabled actors.”

Bale added: “The media has for a long time lacked the inclusion and representation needed to give disabled actors equal opportunities, and too often non-disabled actors are given the few disabled roles on offer.

“This new iteration of Time Bandits is an excellent opportunity to start to change that, I hope that Taika Waititi and his crew choose to.”

The cast members named last month were Kudrow, Tuck, Charlyne Yi, Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Kiera Thompson and Rachel House, who will all be series regulars.

At least some of the actors are expected to be playing members of the gang. Nsengiyumva’s character is called Widgit; in 1981, one of the bandits was Fidgit, played by Kenny Baker of Star Wars fame.

So far, only the character of Kevin has the exact same name as his counterpart in the Gilliam film, suggesting the show might only be loosely based on the movie.

In Purvis’ TikTok video, she also spoke about the difficulties of finding work as an actor of short stature, saying people had warned her that major studios would not take a “risk” on casting her in “real roles.”

She thought the new Time Bandits might change this, however.

“I thought this was it. I thought when Time Bandits was going to be released as a series that finally people like me would have the opportunities to be represented,” she said.

“But once again we’ve been forgotten.”

Social media users have also expressed anger at the casting choices.

One film-goer wrote on Twitter: “Why are they remaking Time Bandits without the small people?!?!? They’re a big part of the film - no pun intended. People complain about wanting gay, trans and minorities in films, why is nobody demanding representation of the little people. Pathetic,” complained

Another posted: “Can the time bandits team and @TaikaWaititi please explain this? The industry is proudly saying they’re all for diverse representation but then people like @abbiegpurvis are always left behind? There should be no reason for this!”

A third wrote: “Is it true? Please tell me that @TaikaWaititi hasn’t cast the new Time Bandits remake with average height people? This is a huge step back for the [little people] community if it’s true. Please Taika, don’t do it 😭❤️ #TimeBandits #InclusiveCasting.”