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Sherlock icon Martin Freeman stars in intriguing first look for new fantasy film based on a children's novel
Momo and the Time Thieves is based on a popular children's book by German author Michael Ende – and is out in UK cinemas very soon.
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- Patrick Cremona
Published: Wednesday, 22 July 2026 at 6:00 pm
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Martin Freeman will take on a key role in upcoming fantasy film Momo and the Time Thieves – and Radio Times can exclusively reveal a first-look clip from the movie.
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The film will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 14 August 2026 and sees Freeman star as a man named Master Hora, who is described as "the Guardian of Time."
In the clip, we see Freeman talking to the film's title character – a girl who lives in a "far away land" payed by young British actress Alexa Goodall – as she puts on a pair of seemingly magical glasses and sees a man played by Bad Sisters star Claes Bang.
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"He is the leader of these grey creatures," Freeman's character tells her, before explaining that "of course" this man knows him given that he is the 'master of time'.
Speaking more about the mysterious grey creatures, he adds: "Their human appearance is only a disguise, strictly speaking they're nothing. They only exist because humans have allowed them to steal their most previous resource and with it goes all the colour, out of people's lives."
He continues: "They rush and fret unable to enjoy anything, constantly stressed but somehow always bored."
Momo then remarks that these mysterious creatures "could have caught me so easily" although when Freeman's character asks his magical tortoise Cassiopeia if this is true, the word "nope" is written on his shell.
You can watch the clip in full below:
The official synopsis for the film reads: "It’s a race against time in this magical adventure. Momo (Alexa Goodall) is a young orphan girl living in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater.
"She spends her days with her best friend Gino (Araloyin Oshunremi) and always has time for her neighbours, but the interference of a powerful international corporation means that suddenly nobody has time for her anymore. Not even Gino!
It continues: "When Momo is at her most desperate, a mysterious turtle leads her to Master Hora (Martin Freeman), the Guardian of Time, and they race against the clock to fight the time thieves and take back what was stolen."
Alongside Freeman, Goodall and Bang, the cast for the film also includes Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve), Laura Haddock (Downton Abbey: A New Era), Jennifer Amaka Pettersson (Over Your Dead Body) and David Schütter (Never Look Away).
It is based on the bestselling novel Momo by Michael Ende and is directed by German filmmaker Christian Ditter (How to Be Single, Love, Rosie).
Momo and the Time Thieves is released in UK cinemas on Friday 14 August 2026.
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Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
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