AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

There has been some discussion of this in the TV & HDTV Programming area.

Also, this would appear to be separate from the Chris Nolan-directed feature that is also said to be coming.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I would avoid this, even if Comcast hadn't moved AMC to its digital tier here (which I don't subscribe to.) Any remake is a desecration of Patrick McGoohan's brilliant work.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Remakes almost never succeed. Remember the early 1990s version of ROUTE 66? Or PONDEROSA (a prequel to BONANZA)? How about this century's DR. WHO? (Well, all versions of Dr. Who are crap). It's a fluke that the new Battlestar Galactica is successful.

At least FOX's GET SMART was a sequel with Don Adams & Barbara Feldon as co-stars, so in spite of low ratings it had some dignity.

I don't like the idea of The Prisoner being remade for television either. Please say this is just an early April Fool's joke and isn't actually happening.

The feature film remake that has yet to get made might be worth the price of admission if Patrick McGoohan comes out of retirement to produce (and quite possibly direct).

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

We been getting movie remakes for a very long time.. looks like we will be seeing quite a bit of TV remakes now too. It may be old news.. I don't know... but I just read info that they are remaking the TV Series Bionic Woman... here is what I found on Sci-Fi Wire...


I always liked the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman... so I am a little hopeful on this one. I never seen The Prisoner to be able to compare it. I know there isn't much love for remakes in general... but I do like some remakes so I am open-minded... after all... I am one of the very few that liked the Night Stalker remake series.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I'm much more interested in Christopher Nolan's update than a cable TV American/British co-production. A film remake of a classic British series needs a Briton at the helm. I've accepted that remakes are now the norm in Hollywood, but I'm glad that previous attempts to remake the Prisoner with a hack like Simon West never came to fruition.


Speaking of Night Stalker, I must actually crack open the DVD set soon--I bought it unseen, as I never got a chance to see Night Stalker during its broadcast (and it was even more short-lived than the original!).

And as for a remake of the Bionic Woman, perhaps the rights issues will become a little clearer so that DVDs can be finally released of Six Million Dollar Man and the original Bionic Woman!

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Hopefully... I would love to see both series come to DVD!

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

The new Dr. Who is a not a remake. It often references the original series, (but without confusing new viewers) and two old companions beloved by fans have popped up. And I can't see how anyone could percieve the new series as unsuccessful?
There is an "authorized sequel" to the Prisoner. It's a graphic novel DC comics published in the late 80's about another secret agent type who wakes up in a now desloate ruined Village, deserted except for a familiar face who's gone up a few numbers, that would be a better idea than a remake!

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Well, if her character is also named Jamie Sommers. then that ruins any possibility of mattress pitchwoman Lindsay Wagner playing her mother.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

The original The Prisoner was shot on film, not video, IIRC. The quality is actually quite high. So why spend the money on a remake?


Let's see what a "Hollywood" version of the Prisoner would entail....probably number 6 would take over the place and perform violent acts of retribution with chainsaws and machine guns.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I seem to recall a rather violent but effective scene in the series finale when Number 6, Number 2, and Number 48 make their great escape from The Village, in which they overcome the men seated on their rotating surveillence camera dollies....which turn out to double as machine guns.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I'm still concerned that The Prisoner becomes "Hollywoodized": look at what happened to film versions of The Saint and The Avengers. The Prisoner was a highly cerebral and unique series and its distinctive mod look (much of which is fashionable again) might be watered down in a remake.

Having said that, I have faith that Nolan respects the series and would make a fascinating remake. He understood the Batman mythos (moreso than Tim Burton) and respected Erik Skjoldberg's vision when remaking Insomnia, so I'm not worried.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I Know a few Dr. Who fans that would disagree

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

This is rather unfortunate news. I dislike the idea of remakes even for TV shows and also movies for which I have only a mild interest in. For one of my all time favorites such as The Prisoner however I especially hate the thought of it. Even if the remake was of comparable quality, I would still greatly prefer that they didn't do it out of principle alone. Also, if the new version doesn't do absolute justice to the original classic series then I hope the people involved in it take a huge financial loss in the project.

Not only is the very existence of remakes annoying, but also the resources directed into producing them could be better spent creating themes and concepts for entirely original TV shows and movies. Therefore, for a program such as The Prisoner, not only is the public given what usually is an inferior version of something done perfectly fine already, but the potential is reduced to have something entirely new introduced that could garner widespread appeal on its own merits.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Some of the Star Trek sequels successfully pulled off reinventing aspects of and expanding on the Trek format (Deep Space Nine did it best).

So to be fair about it, maybe a new version of The Prisoner could work if it's done right. Higher modern technology and better production values aside, it all comes down to the writing, acting, and direction. Since Number Six's name was never revealed in the original series (in "Many Happy Returns" he told Mrs. Butterworth that his name was "Peter Smith", but there's no reason to believe that), the individualistic prisoner focused on in the new show can be any person -- male or female. That former government operative wouldn't even have to have to be British. And if his / her number happens to be 6 , that's OK too because when prisoners die or escape from The Village they're replaced with other people assuming the same numbers. The stories have to be different though, and the experiments performed to get our hero to reveal why he resigned, his attempts to help other prisoners / change the system, as well as the plots in which he attempts to escape should also not remake original stories.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I never understood the disdain for remakes. It's not like they are burning all copies of the original Prisoner, but people almost react as if that's what was happening. It will be easy to continue watching that and ignore any remake if you want.

I'd like to see what they do with it, since I tried to watch the original & was pretty bored.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Isn't there already a US remake of 'The Prisoner' called 'Lost'?

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Actually the Rod Serling series The New People during the 1969-1970 season, was the blueprint for the unwatchable "Lost".

We could just as easily say that SeaQuest DSV was a high-tech, co-ed reworking of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Oh, you mean the Doctor Who that's been walking away with armloads of BAFTAs and a Hugo or two? The one that critics have been loving? Or that's been dominating the ratings and audiance appreciation index for two years now, smashing nearly every other show in it's path? The one that's currently in syndication around the globe?

The Prisioner remake wishes that it'll has a tenth of the sucess that Who enjoys.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I think anything and everything Dr. Who is horrible. I never liked the concept or that the doctor has to keep "regenerating", which was a silly excuse to keep replacing the lead actors when they got out of their contracts and moved on to bigger and better things. It doesn't matter to me that Dr. Who won awards or that the old series lasted 30 years.

One of the few things worse (and older than) the old Dr. Who series are American daytime serials past and present. They have something in common, being cheaply produced (shot on videotape), badly acted and directed, and unwatchable by most people. At least the revival had 21st century production values, but that it flopped proved that audiences weren't interested.

The original version of The Prisoner was 1960s British television at its best -- originally executed and well-done in every respect for its time. It also dealt a lot of symbolism into the mix, so there are different ways to interpret each story. No other series before or since has been able to recapture the individualistic concept as well as Patrick McGoohan did. Even Nowhere Man (which I also enjoyed and collected on DVD) only lasted a season. The Prisoner only went for 17 episodes, because McGoohan and his writers didn't want to repeat the same ideas over and over the way longer-running shows do. It was essentially the first "miniseries". Also McGoohan was tired from the long work hours from being both in front of and behind the cameras, and he chose to return to the stage before relocating to Hollywood.

The finest British TV from that era was shot on film: The Diana Rigg episodes of The Avengers, McGoohan's first series Danger Man (a.k.a. Secret Agent), The Saint, etc. I've always wanted to see "Callan", but I haven't been able to find it anywhere.

You solicited my opinion, so you got it.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Precisely.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Sorry to butt into this conversation,but how has the revival "flopped"?Season three starts in less than a month(with a showing on sci fi this summer),and planning has already begun for a forth.Not to mention the two spinoffs.Doesn't sound like a flop to me.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Season 3? That's Sci-Fi Channel... always 2 years behind England and Canada in airing foreign-made shows.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

So, if it's not shot on film, it's crap?

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

For a science fiction show produced decades ago, YES.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

I take it then that you doing like James Bond or Bewitched or any other show where the leads are replaced by other actors then.


Flopped? This must be a new definition of the word "flopped" that I am unfamiliar with.


That's fine. You're entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it may be.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Guys, I was just cruising around and noticed that this thread was located in Software/TV Shows. Since there is no discussion of any sort of transfer of this series to DVD or VHS, it needs to be in the Television Shows section, which is where it now is. JB

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Actually,that's only about two or three months,but who's counting?=)

And to be honest,Sci fi ran series two before Canada did.

Re: AMC to remake The Prisoner for TV

Precisely! Jeff# is just a hater of Dr. Who period so discussing it with him is a waste of time.

Not only do you make good points, but I go back to the 3rd Doctor and have seen all of them up to now. One point you forgot to make is Dr. Who is the longest running Sci-Fi series in history and if not #1, certainly #2 throughout its running time (some 40 years).

The only thing I don't like about the new Who is it's not as serialized as the old. I think it still shines best when there are full story arcs of at least 2-4 episodes together. It was a show more for the thinking person rather than special effects driven.