In the near 23 months of Obsessed With Film’s existence, there has only been one project that the most confident film-making working today – Christopher Nolan – had signed himself up for.
It was way back in August 2006 and a certain remake of the classic Patrick McGoohan 60’s t.v. show The Prisoner.
And that was it, we heard nothing else since about either The Prisoner or Nolan’s future plans. Until today, when Variety report (subsequent research leads me to believe this news is about 2 weeks old) that Nolan is gone from the t.v. remake.
On board though are the legendary Ian McKellen (as Number Two) and Jimmy Caviezel (as Number Six). The program will debut next year in a distribution deal for Granada, ITV and AMC. Sky One were on board until they didn’t agree with the casting of an American.
For Caviezel – the man who was once deemed unsuitable to play Superman on screen after playing Jesus gets his first ever t.v. recurring role.
For McKellen, it’s his second stint on t.v. after a 10 episode run on Coronation Street.
Written and exec produced by Bill Gallagher, who wrote the BBC’s six-ep crime mini “Conviction,” the new “Prisoner” will follow a man (Caviezel) who wakes up in a town called the Village and is given the number six in place of his name. AMC’s Christina Wayne (who will also exec produce) says that the show will pay homage to McGoohan’s original version, but will also stand alone. The show’s fan following has been abuzz about the remake since it was announced in 2006.
While the original show worked as a metaphor for the paranoia of the Cold War, AMC says that the remake will reflect 21st stressors like constant surveillance and the conflict between liberty and security.
Wonder how a t.v. show might effect both McKellen’s stage work and his role as Gandalf in THE HOBBIT?
For those who have never seen anything from the original show it was nothing like Prison Break and it often delved into Lost territory with it’s isolation and sci-fi elements.
And where does this leave Nolan? He is sure keeping the cards close to his chest over what his next project will be!
5 Comments
you’re confusing two different projects in one. the granada, itv one is a tv series, whereas the nolan project is a movie version scripted by the writers of 12 monkeys, for universal. As to whether the latter is still on, I have no idea.
Danny,
Cheers for that mate, I always thought something must have been up with this because Nolan’s version was always hinted at being a movie adaptation.
When you get the writers of BLADE RUNNER UNFORGIVEN TWELVE MONKEYS adapting the 60’s cult-classic tv show of the 60’s, and probaly the leading filmmaker on the world stage today as Christopher Nolan you make the film. Such a package of truly gifted talents would make a movie that stands the test of time. If Nolan does not make THE PRISONER into a feature film then the studio and financiers should find employement elsewhere. With Nolan coming off THE DARK KNIGHT THE PRISONER should get greenlighted immediately. Any other filmmaker would probaly turn THE PRISONER movie into the three crappy MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE movies that the world has been subjected too. Christopher Nolan in my opinion is one of the few filmmakers that can do justice to Patrick McGoohans tv show.
Nothing is sacred anymore. They should leaves classics alone and stop all this remake(ie,moneymaking) baloney.
I’m disappointed with Nolan gone from the remake of THE PRISONER. His directing technique would have been perfect with this type of sci-fi mindbending premise. With the success of THE DARK KNIGHT I suspect Warner Bros would want Nolan to concentrate on the third Batman movie for a 2010 release. THE PRISONER remake needs a big name director such as Brian De Palma to put this type of material together. No one moves the camera and assembles shots better then De Palma. De Palma was given a crappy MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE script by Tom Cruise and made it more interesting then it should have been. With Nolan gone Universal must target someone like De Palma to direct a script written by David and Janet Peoples. These writers were responsible for the writing credits of BLADE RUNNER, UNFORGIVEN and TWELVE MONKEYS. Let this not become one of the great unproduced screenplays like THE DEMOLISHED MAN which was to have been directed by De Palma straight after THE FURY in 1978. A script that has been languishing for an unforgivable 30 years. Let this not be the case with THE PRISONER!