The original Prisoner — created by and starring Patrick McGoohan — was a brilliant, heady 1960s spy-fi concoction that defied expectation: It followed a secret agent known only as Number Six who’s exiled to a mysterious “village” that he tries vainly to escape from, and held in check by a series of minders who thwart him in various ways.
It has since its first airing become a legitimate cult classic — a clear inspiration for trippy sci-fi allegories like Lost; and there’s a reason why BSG‘s most notorious undercover operative is named Six — and a target of adaptation attempts (the most famous being by Mel Gibson). Finally, AMC stepped up and turned The Prisoner into a miniseries, starring Jim Cavaziel as the agent and Ian McKellen as his jailor, Number Two.
We haven’t seen the whole six-hour miniseries — which starts airing on Nov. 15 — but judging by this full trailer, it looks like McKellen kind of steals the show. Cavaziel conveys suffering rather well (not for nothing did Gibson choose him to play Passion‘s Jesus), and the production looks lavishly mounted, but I think The Prisoner will rise or fall on McKellen.
How does this look to you? Something you’d strap in for?
Ian McKellen looks bloody brilliant as #2. But who is #1?
You mean, “Who…does…numba…2….WORK FOR?!”
Hahahahahahahahaha
Yeah, Rover is huge!
I hope they’ll have No.6 deliver some intelligent lines. The trailer does not bode well on that score.
the question is not who is #1, the question is how will they reveal it?
My dad and I have been watching the original series. It was absolutely brilliant on several levels. The acting was campy at times, but the storylines were quite well done. I only hope that this remake will capture the same imagination and “cleverness” that the original did.
As a huge Prisoner devotee I am hoping this will be at least nearly as fun to watch as the original.
As a realist I am a bit concerned that it will miss the mark.
Either way I will be watching it.
Some of the plots were so inventive that it’s hard to imagine this new series matching up well on the story. And one of the cool things about the old show was how #2 changed from show to show. It sounds as though McKellen is permanent. McGoohan played #6 as suspicious, prickly, and combative with everyone; he wasn’t easy to like. I liked that, and hope Caviezel doesn’t make his character too sympathetic.
Damn, Rover is ginormous!
how the heck is ian mckellen still only an academy award nominee. ugh. the pain.
I’m glad Patrick McGoohan is dead so he won’t have to bear witness to this abomination. Way to strip it of all the originality, surrealism, quirkiness, and soul of the original. It looks like a neutered, naff, bland, late 90s, crummy Bourne Identity ripoff. I had been excited a few years ago when Christopher Eccleston was attached to a Prisoner project but I can’t think of a worse Number 6 than jim Caviezel- really? Him? Bollocks to that.
And it pains me to say this because I absoulutely love Ian McKellan and he makes a perfect Number 2. He’s the only one doing the work here.
Hooray, the token hater shows up. Quite impressive that you were able to review an 8-hour mini-series from a 3-minute trailer.
i gotta agree. the one thing i didnt want to happen was for it to become americanised. i reckon most true fans will give it a wide birth. it doesnt look good but i hope i am proved wrong
I absolutely love Ian McKellan too.
Caviezel + McKellan = happy hopeful me
Though agreed – Eccles would’ve been awesome in the role.
Interesting that AMC have so little confidence in it that they aren’t even gonna make a series out of it. Mash it out over three days… Wham Bam Thankyou to the Man.
It looks interesting to me but what I want to know is what is the background music for the first 35 seconds in the trailer. Much oblige for a response.
I would much like to know what that background music is also. Have you found out yet? If you have could you please share?
Artist: Rob Dougan
Song: Clubbed to Death
I thought the new Prisoner was brilliantly realized. Cavaziel was not the best possible Six, but he was good. This was not a remake; it was a thought-provoking and engrossing miniseries that stands up well all by itself. But I loved the many respectful hommages to the original, like referring to his evil double as “Six times Two” (the Schizoid Man double in the original was Number Twelve). The ending blew me away–it was perfect.
I think this project didn’t get its proper accolades, but I would not be at all surprised if it became almost as much of a cult classic as the original.