The Prisoner ‘set for TV return’:
Sky One is said to be planning a new series inspired by the original which had Patrick McGoohan as a former secret agent trapped in an isolated town.
The show will not take place in the famous setting of the original – the north Wales village of Portmeirion – industry weekly Broadcast said.But it is understood the themes of paranoia, conspiracy and identity crisis would remain.
Damien Timmer, who has been lined up to executive produce the show for Granada, told Broadcast the new series would take “liberties with the original” and would not retain its arty feel.
“Although it will be a radical reinvention, it will still be a heightened show,” he added.
The original Prisoner ran for 17 episodes on ITV from 1967.
Bill Gallagher, the writer of the BBC’s crime drama Conviction, is reported to be writing the new version.
I’m not sure how I feel about a new version of The Prisoner. The original was about as good as television gets (except for the series finale). I suppose if it will be as good as the remake of Battlestar Galactica it will be worth watching. In the case of Battlestar Galactica, the original series was total crap, so there was not much expectation the remake would be any good. A new version of The Prisoner will have to be pretty damn good to live up to the original.