AMC Has Captured Caviezel & McKellen For THE PRISONER Remake
Ian McKellen & Jim Caviezel have signed on for AMC's reboot of the Brit TV genre classic, The Prisoner.
Jim Caviezel & Ian McKellen will star in AMC's six-part reinterpretation of The Prisoner, the cult classic TV riff on Cold War politics.
The original series was created in 1967 (with George Markstein) by producer-writer-director Patrick McGoohan (Danger Man), who also starred as the title character, a former secret agent who is captured and interrogated at "The Village." Co-starring Leo McKern (Rumpole), it's widely regarded as one of the most intriguing cult TV dramas ever, permanently altering the scope of the fantasy genre.
"For those of us who were watching grown-up TV in the 60s, The Prisoner was dangerous, exciting and challenging TV," said John Whiston, Director of ITV Productions. "For those of us who were too young to stay up to watch the series, it casts a long shadow. You don't embark on something this iconic without the best team around to do it justice for a whole new era."
Co-produced with ITV Productions and Granada International, AMC's second original mini-series is written by co-executive producer Bill Gallagher (Conviction) and combines the espionage, thriller and sci-fi genres. It retains the key elements of paranoia, tense action and socio-political commentary seen in the enigmatic original, while reflecting 21st century concerns and anxieties, such as liberty, security, and surveillance.
"Bill Gallagher's new version of The Prisoner is an enthralling commentary on modern culture," said McKellen. "It is witty, intelligent and disturbing. I am very excited to be involved."
Caviezel (Deja Vu, right) will take on McGoohan's role of "Number Six," and two-time Oscar nominee McKellen (The Lord of the Rings) will play "Number Two."
"Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen bring an incredible level of talent to the project, and we're honored they are taking on these important roles," stated Charlie Collier, AMC's general manager and executive vice president. "We look forward to this production revitalizing a classic and bringing Patrick McGoohan's brilliant and captivating story to an entirely new generation of viewers. The caliber of Hollywood talent AMC is attracting further validates our programming vision and our successful strategy of producing quality cinematic originals that stand alongside our library of iconic movies."
Produced by Trevor Hopkins (Poirot) and directed by Jon Jones (Northanger Abbey), The Prisoner is slated for a 2009 worldwide premiere.
[Thanks to Mania's JARROD SARAFIN.]