After a decade or so of vague promises of a remake (including a theatrical film), AMC is scheduled to air the new version of The Prisoner this November 15.
As a fan of the original, I really, really want to like this.
On the one hand, this Prisoner, as you can see from the preview video, is going to be quite a bit different. For one thing, "The Village" is in the middle of the desert. (The six-hour series was filmed in South Africa.) Jim Caviezel doesn't seem to have nearly the same forceful personality as Patrick McGoohan.
On the other hand, Ian McKellen as Number 2 is inspired casting. Rover is still there. The Village, a rigidly laid out collection of cookie-cutter small houses, is different but interesting. Some recreated scenes will sound very familiar. (Check out the one where Number 6 asks a shopkeeper for a map.) Number 6's "Arrival" seems to draw as much from Nowhere Man as it does the original Prisoner. And -- this is either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it -- the new series is going for an updating of the original show, rather than a strict remake.
Personally, I hope it is reminiscent of the original without trying to remake it. McGoohan's Prisoner was quite an accomplishment. Trying to remake it closely would be a mistake. Everyone would be directly comparing the two. This seems like it's going to be a different show, one that will stand or fall on its own merits.
At least, I hope that's the case. We'll all find out, won't we?
Be seeing you.
As a fan of the original, I really, really want to like this.
On the one hand, this Prisoner, as you can see from the preview video, is going to be quite a bit different. For one thing, "The Village" is in the middle of the desert. (The six-hour series was filmed in South Africa.) Jim Caviezel doesn't seem to have nearly the same forceful personality as Patrick McGoohan.
On the other hand, Ian McKellen as Number 2 is inspired casting. Rover is still there. The Village, a rigidly laid out collection of cookie-cutter small houses, is different but interesting. Some recreated scenes will sound very familiar. (Check out the one where Number 6 asks a shopkeeper for a map.) Number 6's "Arrival" seems to draw as much from Nowhere Man as it does the original Prisoner. And -- this is either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it -- the new series is going for an updating of the original show, rather than a strict remake.
Personally, I hope it is reminiscent of the original without trying to remake it. McGoohan's Prisoner was quite an accomplishment. Trying to remake it closely would be a mistake. Everyone would be directly comparing the two. This seems like it's going to be a different show, one that will stand or fall on its own merits.
At least, I hope that's the case. We'll all find out, won't we?
Be seeing you.