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The society main news and membership information is at www.ThePrisonerAppreciationSociety.com

Shooting The Prisoner 2009 "re-interpretation" was shot at Swakopmund, Namibia's busy holiday resort. Past news appears below, with newest reports at the top and oldest at the bottom.



See also the official AMC website, with news, blogs, features and photos:


www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner

ACTOR PROFILES PAGE - CLICK HERE

AMC PROMOTION - CLICK THE IMAGE

(TAKES A WHILE TO LOAD)

www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6599975.html

31-7-08 THE website (is) part of a grassroots campaign that AMC launched at Comic Con. In addition to the puzzle cards transparent stickers with the number 6 were placed on ceilings, floors and restroom mirrors. Dozens of numbered men in black suits wandered the convention floor saying “I Am Not A Number” and “The truth is right beside you” and the phrase Seek The Six was written in the sky above the convention center. www.sflare.com/archives/amcs-prisoner-campaign

Top stars remake 'Prisoner' at Swakop - by Adam Hartman

29-7-08 ACTORS Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen will be in Swakopmund shortly to star in the six-part ITV reinvention of the 1960s cult thriller 'The Prisoner'. The television series is about a man who finds himself trapped in a mysterious place called 'The Village', with no memory of how he arrived there. The "prisoner" explores his environment, and finds out that the inhabitants are identified by numbers instead of names, and also have no memory of a prior existence or outside civilisation. 'Number Six' (Caviezel) is driven by a desperate need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly, how he can survive and escape. The Village is controlled by "the sinister and charismatic" 'Number Two' (McKellen). In each new episode Six and Two are locked in a battle of wits, as Six challenges the oppressive nature of The Village and battles against his captors. Six must find out what The Village is, but in doing so, he must also confront some dark truths about himself. Set-production teams are already busy with several stages around Swakopmund - particularly the Mole area and the town's centre. The shooting of the series is set to start in August, and certain parts of town will be closed for short intervals. Sapieka said the closure of certain areas would be announced in advance. 'The Prisoner', created by Patrick McGoohan in 1967, is regarded as one of the most intriguing TV series ever created. While the original series was a riff on Cold War politics, ITV's remake will reflect 21st century concerns and anxieties such as liberty, security and surveillance, yet also showcase the same key elements of paranoia, tense action and socio-political commentary seen in McGoohan's enigmatic original. www.namibian.com.na/2008/July/national/081A5E7292.html

HAYLEY ATWELL: Her next project takes her to Africa to face off against Ian McKellen for the British series "The Prisoner." There she plans to explore the continent for the first time and indulge her adventurous side. "I'm going to take a hot-air balloon across the dunes in Namibia." New_York_Daily_News (does she mean Rover?)

HAYLEY ATWELL: I play a girl called Lucy, who is the prisoner’s kind of love interest, but you realize very quickly that nothing is what it seems, and she’s actually working for a corporation that is responsible for this so-called village, where people are leaving their names and identity, and being called by their numbers. And then you also see Lucy in the village, and she’s someone with a number this time, and she’s also blind. And it’s a bit of a mystery as to who she is. It’s ambiguous. But it makes for exciting television. moviehole.net

RUTH WILSON has spoken about her role in the new six part mini-series: "This guy gets taken into this village and everyone's got a number, not a name. And it’s about how he finds his way back, and what the village is. It's very ambiguous but completely different. (It's) set now, but kind of timeless. It’s like a parallel universe. It's a bit weird and sci-fi-ish, but it's kind of now. (My character) is the love interest, but it also is someone who is working for a very important corporation. And she's not what she seems... she turns up in the village blind, and with a number. And you don't know whether it's a joke, or if she’s in a parallel world. And it’s actually a different part of her. It’s very ambiguous, very interesting. I’ve got an American accent to do." http://danowen.blogspot.com/2008/07/prisoner-meet-villagers.html

14th July 2008 Hayley Atwell joins Prisoner cast says MTV         11th July Daily Mail report

9th July 2008 latest AMC Prisoner remake news            Prisoner new mini series Press Release

Also listen to radio interviews at www.patrickmcgoohan.org.uk

NEWS - nearly 4 weeks after Six of One exclusively broke the Prisoner remake story on the sixth of the sixth, ITV's
official press release of 30th June led to numerous media sources announcing the news  of a 2009 mini-series. The
Prisoner Appreciation Society has monitored events since the winter of 2006 and this page has carried all updates.

6th June, 2008 - SIX OF ONE EXCLUSIVE - The 2009 mini-series of the The Prisoner will feature six one-hour episodes, all written by Bill Gallagher (Clocking Off; Conviction; Lark Rise to Candleford). Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings; The Da Vinci Code) is in the role of Number Two and James Caviezel (Deja Vu; The Passion of the Christ) plays Number Six. The producer is Trevor Hopkins (Dracula; Agatha Christie: Poirot; William and Mary) and direction is by Jon Jones (Cold Feet; Northanger Abbey; Diary of Anne Frank). Location filming is in Namibia and Cape Town, with shooting commencing in the first week of August, 2008. The "pacy, radical reinvention of the original show" is a joint production between AMC (American Movie Channel) and ITV (UK).

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2nd May, 2008 - Liverpool Daily Post updates ITV remake plans - click picture link below

1st May, 2008 - The Western Mail updates ITV remake planes - click picture link below:

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30th April, 2008 - BBC News Wales - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7369141.stm

30th April, 2008 - The Daily Post reports ITV remake plans - click picture link below:

29th April, 2008 - The Independent - article and news update - click picture link below:

28th April, 2008 - The Daily Post reports ITV remake plans - click picture link below:

28th April, 2008 - The Telegraph reports ITV remake planes - click picture link below:

26th April, 2008 - The Western Mail news of planned ITV remake - click picture link below:

18th April, 2008 - Portmeirion Hotel website announcement:

http://www.portmeirion-village.com/content.php?nID=8;ID=88;lID=1

16th April, 2008 - Daily Mail newspaper article:

"The Prisoner, which baffled millions of TV viewers in the 1960s with its complex plots, is being remade with U.S. actor Jim Caviezel in the title role. Currently filming in Libya, there’s a special guest appearance by the show’s original star Patrick McGoohan. And by luvvie’s luvvie Sir Ian ‘Serena’ McKellen."

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October, 2007 - ITV now reported to be making a new Prisoner six-parter:

www.netreach.net/~sixofone/TheSUN.jpg

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Richard Woolfe, head of Sky One was interviewed 24th August 2007 by Neil Wilkes, editor at Digital Spy about the "abandoned remake of The Prisoner":

What happened with the planned remake of The Prisoner?

"The Prisoner is not happening. It's a very quintessentially British drama and there were too many creative differences trying to share it with an American partner. I didn't want to be responsible for taking something that is quintessentially British and adapting it in a way that I didn't feel was reflective of the way people would remember it and the way people would want it to be. So we called time on that."

The Independent newspaper article

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PREVIOUSLY ON PRISONER REMAKE NEWS...

After 30 years of The Prisoner appreciation society - Six of One - waiting to learn if there will ever be a 'sequel', firm news is now appearing. The final Prisoner episode - Fall Out - ended the original series abruptly, back in 1967. Now, 4 decades on, there is to be a new series based on the old one, which had 17 hourly epsiodes. But the new production is a mini-series of 6 episodes, costing £1 million each. The sixties' stories had a budget of £75,000.

The satellite TV channel Sky One has unveiled plans for a new six-part “thrilling reinvention” of The Prisoner, as director of programmes Richard Woolfe describes the project, with Christopher Eccleston proposed for the lead role of Number Six. Woolfe adds that the mini-series will be a “sophisticated, high-concept drama to rival anything on the terrestrials and the best of the U.S. It's our biggest drama commission ever and every penny will be evident on screen. We want to capture the imagination of a new generation of viewers.”

Commissioning drama editor Elaine Pyke has revealed that the project “has been subject to an unprecedented level of attention, attracting an array of A-list actors and writers. We intend to raise the bar for British drama with this, aiming for it to be 2007's most hotly anticipated series."

"With writer Bill Gallagher responsible for the script, the remake will reflect the original outline - that of a top secret official resigning his post and being abducted to a mysterious prison called “The Village” - but with a modern take. Without any filming in Portmeirion, the mini-series will be more of a “ultimate conspiracy thriller,” than the sixties fantasy pyscho-drama, executive producer Damien Timmer states. “The new series will entrap you from the opening scene. We hope it will tap into this iconic show's existing cult following, whilst creating a whole new generation of fans.” 

Adam Sherwin, media correspondent of The Times said: "The new version, made by Granada for Sky One, will incorporate the paranoia, conspiracy theories and hi-tech action sequences of modern-day spy dramas 24 and Spooks. However, the Welsh tourist 'village' of Portmeirion, where the original ATV show was filmed, will be replaced by a more exotic foreign location. Damien Timmer, executive producer of The Prisoner, said: 'The series is like Pandora's box. Like 24, the new series will entrap you from the opening scene.' It is expected to appear before a long-mooted Hollywood film remake, and Granada is expecting to sell the show internationally. Granada is promising a 'radical reinvention' and a plot that will make sense to viewers who watch the six-episode series."

The Mirror quoted Director of programmes Richard Woolfe as saying, “If Doctor Who* set the standard, The Prisoner raises the bar." (*Christopher Eccleston starred as the Doctor in the 2005 BBC series).

Owen Gibson, media correspondent of The Guardian announced: “Following BBC1's successful revival of Doctor Who, broadcasters have been looking to the archives for other likely revamps. The 1967 Prisoner original still has a large cult following, with many fans continuing to decode the opaque meaning of the 17 original shows online and the programme cited as a key influence by a string of today's writers and producers. Bringing back The Prisoner as a pacy, high concept six-part drama will be seen as a big gamble for Sky's new director of programmes, Richard Woolfe, who arrived from Living TV earlier this year to run Sky One, Two and Three."

Hugh Davies, in the Telegraph added "It is hoped that McGoohan, 78, now living in California, will make an appearance in one of the first six hour-long episodes."

Guy Adams in The Independent (10th May) reported that no deal has been struck and quoted Sky as saying: "Eccleston cannot yet be ruled either in or out of the project. Christopher did contact Granada earlier this year, when talks about the project began. But since the casting process has only just begun, we are also looking elsewhere." Locals in Portmeirion, the Welsh village where the show was filmed, are taking the matter seriously. They've launched an online poll to find a suitable alternative to Eccleston.

Six of One member John Older stated (6th May): “Just to add this to the Eccleston news elsewhere reported - despite the apparent flood of news items reporting this (which is mostly fluff and no substance, merely repeating what's already been reported) - I have it from a source very close to Chris that he is not up for the role of Number Six, and nobody has approached him about playing the part, which is also being confirmed by his agent.” Link

A planned remake is due to be broadcast next year, but it has not yet been announced who will fill the shoes of Patrick McGoohan in the Number Six role. Visitors to the village's website are now being asked to submit suggestions for the new Number Six. Robin Llywelyn, managing director of the site and grandson of its creator Sir Clough, said: "Since launching the online vote, we have had a good response, people take it very seriously. "To this end, we have already had requests from people keen to see Patrick McGoohan return to play the role."

The Radio Times (30th May 2006) reported: Sky One has confirmed that it's commissioned a big-budget remake of cult series The Prisoner - but rumours that Christopher Eccleston is to take the role made famous by Patrick McGoohan have been strongly denied. "It's a complete fabrication," says his agent. The 6 x 60-minute series, to be called Number 6, will be Sky's biggest-ever UK drama commission and is expected to air early next year.

Cult classic '60s series sheds shackles of time

 www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=d368d4e2-91f6-4340-aa6a-d79f3c5a3b0c&k=27751

Chris Knight, CanWest News Service

Published: Saturday, July 22, 2006

TORONTO - A worldwide chorus of excited squeals and agonized groans greeted the recent announcement that Britain's Sky One network was remaking the 1967 cult series The Prisoner. The 17-episode original, starring Patrick McGoohan (who also conceived, co-wrote, produced and occasionally directed the series) is both a dense political allegory and a rollicking bout of secret-agent entertainment. The Prisoner brutally satirized Western institutions, but it also featured a giant white balloon named Rover that liked to pounce on miscreants.

Whether a remake of a series so tied to the climate of the '60s will work remains to be seen. But the original, which arrives next week in a gun-jumping 40th anniversary edition, deserves to be seen. New is a striking colour map of The Village (one of the first things Number Six does is try to plot his way out on a map, which shows him hemmed in by ocean and mountains) and a comprehensive written guide by Roger Langley, who also runs the Six of One Prisoner appreciation society.

TV Guide news: www.netreach.net/~sixofone/TV%20Guide.jpg

          
Christopher Nolan is in final negotiations to direct a feature film adaptation of the 1967 TV show The Prisoner for Universal Pictures. The screenplay is being written by Janet and David Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiven and Twelve Monkeys).The original UK fantasy/drama TV series only lasted 17 episodes, but later spun-off into a series of novels, comic books, computer games and role-playing games. Patrick McGoohan played a government agent who resigns and is kidnapped and placed on an isolated island known as the Village. He's given a new identity and interacts with island staff trying to get him to reveal why he resigned. Throughout the series Number Six tries to escape while defying all attempts to break his will. If Nolan does sign on, production would begin after the Batman Begins sequel - The Dark Knight. In an interesting but unrelated side note, Lost co-creator and Mission: Impossible III writer/director JJ Abrams has recently praised the series as one of his influences: "I loved The Prisoner, which was a very odd sort of hybrid of sci-fi, mystery and character and certainly there are elements of The Prisoner in both Alias and Lost. The prisoner was a guy constantly wondering where the hell he was. And there was some kind of agency that seemed to be in control of his destiny, and that was clearly a theme in Alias." www.slashfilm.com/article.php/20060811the-prisoner-movie

Sky One will become a "trailblazing" entertainment channel with attention- grabbing TV shows, the broadcaster's director of programmes has said. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Richard Woolfe said he hoped the remake of 1960s drama The Prisoner would lift ratings (and that the production) - which will cost £1m an episode - ... was "the perfect show to reinvigorate and bring back to life". The cast has yet to be announced, but there will initially be six episodes of the series.

          
AMC captures 'Prisoner' for '08 - by Kimberly Nordyke - Dec 19, 2006

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i2d2333041a2e6510bc11fb5c368d642b

AMC is getting into the sci-fi business with a remake of the 1960s series "The Prisoner."  The cable network is set to co-produce with the U.K.'s Granada and Sky One a new version of the sci-fi thriller, which aired from 1967-68 on CBS. The remake will feature a similar story line to the original series, which starred Patrick McGoohan, who also was creator, producer, writer and director.  "Prisoner" will follow a man who finds himself inexplicably trapped in "the Village," with no memory of how he arrived. All of the inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of a previous existence or outside civilization and are under constant surveillance. The man, Number Six, sets out to discover the truth behind the Village, why he's there and how he can escape.  The remake will be written by Bill Gallagher (BBC's "Conviction," "Clocking Off"). Granada's Michelle Buck and Damien Timmer will produce.  Production on the hourlong series is scheduled to begin in the spring for a worldwide premiere targeted for January 2008. "Prisoner" is the latest programming announcement by AMC: "('Prisoner') is part of our mission to build an original slate that provides cinematic programming to television," said Charlie Collier, who became general manager and executive vp at AMC in September. "Each of the projects we've been announcing are diverse, but they all have a common thread to celebrate and showcase specific genres."  AMC executive vp programming and production Rob Sorcher said the network's executives have been looking to do an "event sci-fi genre series" for some time.  "It needed to be something with marquee value built in," he said. "This show made an explosion in the genre 40 years ago; to this day, it's loved by so many. This is an opportunity to remake a classic and reinterpret it, and it also gives us a built-in fan base."  The number of episodes is yet to be determined, but Sorcher said it will be "a minimum of six or eight." He added that the producers are looking to bring in a "big-name" director/executive producer who will "bring his or her own vision to the material."  Sorcher said that AMC also has acquired rights to the original "Prisoner" and will air those episodes around the time of the new series' launch along with films in the same genre as the show.  Granada International will distribute "Prisoner" worldwide.