ROTTEN TOMATOES: Christopher Nolan to Track "The Prisoner" After "Dark Knight" Duty

Christopher Nolan to Track "The Prisoner" After "Dark Knight" Duty

by Scott Weinberg | August 11, 2006

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Following the enormous success of "Batman Begins," director Christopher Nolan has become a bona-fide workaholic! His new film, the fantastic-looking "The Prestige," is due in a few months, plus he's about to get to work on "The Dark Knight," and after that he'll be adaptating the cult classic TV series "The Prisoner" for the big screen.

From Variety: "Universal Pictures is near a deal for Christopher Nolan to direct a feature version of TV series classic "The Prisoner."

Series lasted only 17 episodes in 1967. Patrick McGoohan played a government agent who resigns, is kidnapped and placed on an isolated island known as the Village. He's given a new identity -- Number Six -- and interacts with an island staff trying to get him to reveal why he resigned."

Sounds like a pretty cool take on the old cult series, mainly because Nolan is involved, but also because the screenplay adaptation comes from David & Janet Peoples, the husband & wife writing team who last collaborated to bring us "12 Monkeys" -- and that movie's just awesome.

Related Items

Movie:	The Prestige
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	Prisoner, The - Ep. 1
Celeb:	Christopher Nolan
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(1-14 of 14 posts) | Reply

COME ON! writes:
on Aug 11 2006 09:39 AM

[b]Sounds great to me[/b]
Nolan is the man. Who do we want to star in it ? His last name begins with a "B" and ends with "ale", nudge nudge wink wink.

(Reply to this)

Mikeal420 writes:
on Aug 11 2006 09:42 AM

[b]Awesome idea, wrong director[/b]
The prisoner is one of my all time favorite shows, anyone who understands the 420 in my name would understand why. If you never watched it, then watch it. But what is Christopher Nolan directing it for. He is a good director, but his films are always dark and full of gloom. The prisoner was a psychedelic, often flamboyant action/mystery,which also had a disturbing, paranoid edge. It should be done by someone like Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam who can make a film with a dark edge feel full of life, not full of gloom.

(Reply to this)

arpeggio191 writes:
on Aug 11 2006 10:34 AM

[b]holy crap![/b]
i can't wait for The Dark Knight! It's going to friggin rule. The Prestige will also friggin rule! Nolan is awesome. Actually... they should have Christian Bale play the lead role... but that's just because i think he should be in every movie... him and naomi watts and scarlet johanson. whatever though...

(Reply to this)

antickpix writes:
on Aug 11 2006 10:49 AM

whoa..the ppl who wrote 12 monkeys! that is far greater news than Nolan directing it, in my humble opinion.

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ttboy80 writes:
on Aug 11 2006 11:16 AM

Remind me of a simpsons episode...

then again, everything reminds me of a simpsons episode.

(Reply to this)

sweet phil writes:
on Aug 11 2006 01:14 PM

In reply to this comment (#842012)
yeah i agree, if terry gilliam directed this it would be guaranteed to be awesome. 12 monkeys features some of my favorite directing in a movie. Personally, i haven't seen the t.v show but it sounds really interesting. hopefully nolan can pull it off as he has done in the past

(Reply to this)

snkyninja writes:
on Aug 11 2006 03:18 PM

I think it was a Simpsons episode.

It had a panda at the end or something.

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Mikeal420 writes:
on Aug 11 2006 04:56 PM

[b]There was a Simpson's that parodies the "Prisoner"[/b]
In the episiode where Homer starts a website devoted to make believe gossip, he claims that flue-shots are a government conspiracy to contral our minds, He turns out to be right, so the Gov. sends him to an island that recreates the set of "The Prisoner", including a chess set made of human beings and all the 70's psychedelia you could ever want on a mushroom trip.

Also in an earlier epsisode froma differnt season, the Simpson's go to live on a cult-compound that believe aliens will come and save them and Marge and Lisa try to escape. The compound is set with defenses that mock those on "The Prisoner", including an inflatable ball that chases them out to sea.

Man, I watch WAY too much TV

(Reply to this)

Master King Sexington writes:
on Aug 11 2006 05:36 PM

Actually, the inflatable ball was in the conspiracy episode, not the cult one. Wait, actually, I think it was in both.

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WileyMan writes:
on Aug 11 2006 07:07 PM

[b]Be Seeing you[/b]
Very exciting. My only hope is that Nolan can keep the same surrealistic edge that the television show explored. I hope he doesn't just make a spy movie for that would completely miss the point. I wonder if Patrick McGoohan will be involved at all. I hope he at least approved the screenplay.

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Aug 11 2006 08:08 PM

Why not have Patrick McGoohan direct it? He directed several episodes of The Prisoner and Columbo.

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The Paki Don writes:
on Aug 12 2006 02:02 AM

How about if George W. Bush directed it ? He often gets people sent to camps and interrogated, so why not let someone with experience handle the matter. I'd also like to see Bill Clinton direct "Basic Instinct 3", which seems inevitable in these trilogy infested times...

(Reply to this)

Master King Sexington writes:
on Aug 13 2006 10:35 AM

In reply to this comment (#842019)
At least you insulted both political sides. Thank you. So many one sided people. If you insult one, insult them all. Great

(Reply to this)

Circe Prankster writes:
on Aug 14 2006 11:25 AM

In reply to this comment (#842019)
The camps that GWB sends people to are far less superficially pleasant than The Prisoner's village, but their justification and policies are equally mysterious, it seems.

I hope the makers of this Prisoner film retain the smiley, candy-colored, seaside-resort look and unnatural cheerfulness of the village's appearance. It's much creepier than the traditional gloom and darkness.

(Reply to this)