NationStates Jolt Archive

The cult classic tv series "The Prisoner" is being remade.

"The Prisoner" was a TV show that appeared on the BBC in the late 1960s. It is renowned for having more concentrated doses of mindfuck than any television show ever produced. Seriously, Lost has nothing on The Prisoner.

And now it's being remade. Shortened to just six episodes (!). And given the record of remakes as of late, things are not looking up.

I am given cause for hope, though. Jim Cavizel will play the protagonist, and Sir Ian McKellen is cast as Number 2 (I'm not explaining it to you noobs, you'll just have to watch it and find out ). Whether or not the whole production will be good, however, is a whole 'nother story.

So what's everyone back in the Village thinking about this travesty of justice? Come forth, fans of the original, let us have some discussion that is sure to alienate anyone who hasn't watched it.

Oh, and for the rest of you? Be seeing you.

Who did the what in the where now?

concentrated doses of mindfuck
Do I want to know?

Who did the what in the where now?

Do I want to know?
Spy captured and put in trippy 60s Welsh village where he tried to escape from while having weird things done to him and a completely inexplicable ending that seems like the writers were high on something very illegal late one night.

No-one's even sure which episodes should go in which order, and when the series finale was shown a TV station switchboard got blown up from the number of people phoning in to ask wtf had happened.

Caviziel is good. Mckellan will be great (though no guest number 2s?) but I think they should leave it. How're they going to redo Rover? It works as a crazy sixties thing, I can't see the modern one being all that great.

I am given cause for hope, though. Jim Cavizel will play the protagonist, and Sir Ian McKellen is cast as Number 2 (I'm not explaining it to you noobs, you'll just have to watch it and find out ). Whether or not the whole production will be good, however, is a whole 'nother story.



Ooooooh. Both phenomenal choices. If anything, their acting should redeem any other weaknesses to the point of tolerability.

Edit...although, having only one actor playing Number 2 might be a touch disconcerting...

Its also the name of an awesome Iron Maiden song.

I am not a prisoner - I am a free man! :D

I wonder if they'll do the ending that was originally intended...

Be seeing you...

A remake is going to suck intensely. Nobody nowadays understands 60s British weird. That's all there is to it. I have no hope.

Its also the name of an awesome Iron Maiden song.

Inspired by the TV show.

Aren't they putting the cart before the horse a bit? Shouldn't they remake "Secret Agent" before "The Prisoner," since the latter was a bizarre, tripped-out, sort-of spin-off of the former?

The Prisioner was fucking awesome, and as I believe it was originally imagined as a short (like dozen episode long) series by it s creatur whi left productio when it was extened.
Ian bodes well in evertything. That is one talented faggot. No offecnec.

The Prisioner was fucking awesome, and as I believe it was originally imagined as a short (like dozen episode long) series by it s creatur whi left productio when it was extened.
Ian bodes well in evertything. That is one talented faggot. No offecnec.

McGoohan's said it was supposed to be 7 (which would fit the 6 they're doing), but CBS wouldn't pick it up unless they had 26. http://www.cultv.co.uk/mcgoohan.htm

Ooooooh. Both phenomenal choices. If anything, their acting should redeem any other weaknesses to the point of tolerability.

Edit...although, having only one actor playing Number 2 might be a touch disconcerting...

That's what I'm hoping for. But I'll watch it, regardless. Then I'll complain about how disappointed I was.

I was really disappointed that only one actor would play Number 2. It's really going to remove one big source of the alienation effect that the story was based on.

A remake is going to suck intensely. Nobody nowadays understands 60s British weird. That's all there is to it. I have no hope.

Probably, but hey, we can hope, right? Oh well. Be seeing you.

A remake is going to suck intensely. Nobody nowadays understands 60s British weird. That's all there is to it. I have no hope.

Exactly. They'll dumb it down for a North American audience, and it will rape Patrick McGoohan repeatedly in the eye sockets.

I recall that when he tried to escape, there were giant balloons that flew at him and pinned him down.

I recall that when he tried to escape, there were giant balloons that flew at him and pinned him down.

I never liked big white balloons (http://www.netribution.co.uk/cc/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=828&g2_serialNumber=1) after.

Aren't they putting the cart before the horse a bit? Shouldn't they remake "Secret Agent" before "The Prisoner," since the latter was a bizarre, tripped-out, sort-of spin-off of the former?
The Prisoner was only interpreted as a sequel, it never literally found expression as such. Maybe the remake wil be good, now that they'll no better than to have silly balloons as enforcement. A shorter and more modern series might manage to take the spirit of the original and make it the brilliant star it deserved to be.
I mean, i love the original version (due to relative youngness, I had to watch it via Netflix), but there were quite a few clunky episodes (like that one where he ran for the position of No. 2 and then go the crap kicked out of him by his maid, seriosuly, what was the point of all that? Especially when everyone kept knocking him unconcious. Oh, yeah, spoiler. That last bit was a spoiler for one of the weaker episodes in a series that is like 30 years old).

The Prisoner was only interpreted as a sequel, it never literally found expression as such. Maybe the remake wil be good, now that they'll no better than to have silly balloons as enforcement. A shorter and more modern series might manage to take the spirit of the original and make it the brilliant star it deserved to be.
I mean, i love the original version (due to relative youngness, I had to watch it via Netflix), but there were quite a few clunky episodes (like that one where he ran for the position of No. 2 and then go the crap kicked out of him by his maid, seriosuly, what was the point of all that? Especially when everyone kept knocking him unconcious. Oh, yeah, spoiler. That last bit was a spoiler for one of the weaker episodes in a series that is like 30 years old).
My bet is that it will suck. This is because I personally think the silly balloons and all the rest of that nonsensical shit was what MADE that show. "Improving" on Rover cannot be done.

My bet is that it will suck. This is because I personally think the silly balloons and all the rest of that nonsensical shit was what MADE that show. "Improving" on Rover cannot be done.

eXActly. Jazzing it up with fancy effects, too-serious actors and a 'modern' soundtrack will completely destroy it.

The cult classic tv series "The Prisoner" is being remade.

"The Prisoner" was a TV show that appeared on the BBC in the late 1960s. It is renowned for having more concentrated doses of mindfuck than any television show ever produced. Seriously, Lost has nothing on The Prisoner.

And now it's being remade. Shortened to just six episodes (!). And given the record of remakes as of late, things are not looking up.

I am given cause for hope, though. Jim Cavizel will play the protagonist, and Sir Ian McKellen is cast as Number 2 (I'm not explaining it to you noobs, you'll just have to watch it and find out ). Whether or not the whole production will be good, however, is a whole 'nother story.

So what's everyone back in the Village thinking about this travesty of justice? Come forth, fans of the original, let us have some discussion that is sure to alienate anyone who hasn't watched it.

Oh, and for the rest of you? Be seeing you.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Uh, did I just date myself?

The cult classic tv series "The Prisoner" is being remade.

Shortened to just six episodes (!). And given the record of remakes as of late, things are not looking up.



I do remember hearing that McGoohan only wanted the original to go six episodes. I wonder if it's actually the same six.

Hopefully the mindfuck will have some semblance of logic as a thin shell to contain the shape this time about. Enjoyed the original but it had a lot of unresolved questions.

As a seminonsequitur, wouldn't you be scared of working at a deli when Patrick McGoohan showed up as a customer?

Clerk: "Now serving Number Six-"
PM: "I AM NOT A NUMBER!! I AM A HUMAN BEING!!" [Dives across the counter and starts strangling clerk. After a while looks down at his ticket.] "Oh, sorry about that. I am Number Six after all."

I do remember hearing that McGoohan only wanted the original to go six episodes. I wonder if it's actually the same six.

No way of knowing til it comes out.

Hopefully the mindfuck will have some semblance of logic as a thin shell to contain the shape this time about. Enjoyed the original but it had a lot of unresolved questions.

As a seminonsequitur, wouldn't you be scared of working at a deli when Patrick McGoohan showed up as a customer?

Clerk: "Now serving Number Six-"
PM: "I AM NOT A NUMBER!! I AM A HUMAN BEING!!" [Dives across the counter and starts strangling clerk. After a while looks down at his ticket.] "Oh, sorry about that. I am Number Six after all."

I wonder if he get's that joke a lot.

You know what's going to be way better? The remake of Survivors. I honestly cannot wait.

Exactly. They'll dumb it down for a North American audience, and it will rape Patrick McGoohan repeatedly in the eye sockets.

Dumbing down for a North American audience implies two things:

North American audiences would not understand the original.
Non-North American audiences do understand the original.

The first implication seems true enough. The second I wonder about.