Contemporary off successful seven Academy Awards for the towering historic epic Oppenheimer — together with Finest Image and Finest Director — Christopher Nolan is setting his sights on his subsequent cinematic mission. In February 2024, Nolan expressed curiosity in doubtlessly making a horror film sooner or later, telling the BFI that this can be very tough to search out an unique horror story and that he’s nonetheless looking for one worthy of adapting. As Nolan continues his search, the door has seemingly opened for The Prisoner, a big-screen adaptation of the 1967 British TV present of the identical title that has been rumored to be Nolan’s subsequent film (as per Selection).

Whereas nothing is definitive and needs to be taken with a grain of salt at this level, a cinematic adaptation of The Prisoner might doubtlessly be Nolan’s riskiest enterprise to this point. In fact, successful a number of Oscars affords larger inventive freedom and the chance to take larger possibilities, and it seems as if Nolan is likely to be courting his most daring mission but. To know why The Prisoner might be Nolan’s largest cinematic danger of his profession to date, it is price exploring what occurred to the unique TV present and its creator and star, Patrick McGoohan.

What’s The Prisoner and How is Nolan Concerned?

Created by and starring Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner is a British sci-fi thriller thriller that aired on the ATV community for 1 Season and 17 episodes from 1967 to 1968. The premise of the acclaimed ’60s TV present issues Quantity Six (McGoohan), a British intelligence agent who’s abruptly kidnapped following the resignation from his authorities publish. Quantity Six is held hostage and brought to a mysterious space known as The Village alongside the coast surrounded by mountains.

Odder but, Quantity Six awakes inside a exact duplicate of his home and shortly meets different prisoners in The Village recognized by numbers. The numerically-appointed prisoners don’t have any clue who to belief and when Quantity Six realizes what’s taking place, he claims he’s a free man and never only a quantity meant to be held captive by mysterious forces. Whereas the prisoners will not be caged and may transfer freely, The Village is a high-tech surveillance state that tracks each transfer every prisoner makes, robbing them of freedom, privateness, and solitude.

Those that try to flee The Village are both killed or recaptured by Rover, a robotic watchguard. The extra that Quantity Six uncovers the reality about The Village, the extra he hyperlinks a grand conspiracy regarding thoughts management, stolen identification, dream theft, and psychological indoctrination. If the concept of dream theft sounds acquainted, that is as a result of Nolan explored an identical topic in his 2010 movie Inception. Whereas Inception is just not an adaptation of The Prisoner, Selection stories that Nolan was hooked up to adapt The Prisoner as a film again in 2009.

In keeping with Selection, Nolan had curiosity in adapting The Prisoner as a characteristic movie. However because the commerce notes:

“The sci-fi mission vanished from Nolan’s dance card that very same 12 months, when AMC launched its personal ‘The Prisoners,’ a six-part miniseries led by Jim Caviezel because the ill-fated agent Quantity Six alongside Ian McKellen and Ruth Wilson.”

As soon as AMC launched The Prisoner as a watered-down American model of the thrilling British unique collection, Nolan scrapped plans to make The Prisoner as a film and targeted on different initiatives as an alternative, together with the mind-altering Inception. Though it’s rumored that Nolan has rekindled his curiosity in The Prisoner, Selection notes that Nolan might be writing a brand new screenplay fully. No matter what Nolan opts to direct subsequent, likelihood is it can land at Warner Bros. or Common, two main studios recognized for working with him previously.

What Occurred to the Star of The Prisoner?

Not talked about in The Selection article is what occurred to star and showrunner Peter McGoohan following The Prisoner‘s preliminary run in 1968. The present’s ultimate episode, “Fall Out,” left viewers with an ambiguous, open-ended conclusion that didn’t present the solutions followers have been on the lookout for. Though the episode earned a 1969 Hugo Award nomination for Finest Dramatic Presentation, followers have been outraged {that a} satisfying conclusion was not given to them.

Associated

10 British Remakes of American TV Sequence

Regardless of the numerous examples of American collection of British origins, the alternate from throughout the pond doesn’t move a technique.

In keeping with McGoohan, the outrage was so intense that he was pressured to “go into hiding for some time” following the discharge of “Fall Out” (as reported by NPR) as a result of disgruntled viewers have been exhibiting up at his home demanding solutions. After the surreal and cerebrally difficult finale befell, McGoohan famous that viewers have been upset with the anomaly, including:

“No, yeah, a number of individuals did not [get it]. They needed clear solutions — The place WAS the village? Which aspect ran it? Who WAS Quantity One?”

Whereas the ending of The Prisoner failed to supply satisfying solutions, the true query is whether or not Nolan could be courageous and daring sufficient to adapt the story faithfully to the massive display screen or if he would offer the solutions which have eluded viewers since 1968. In fact, Nolan is not any stranger to an ambiguous ending, however would this one be a step too far for the viewers?

Why is The Prisoner Such a Dangerous Undertaking for Nolan?

Though Nolan has made daringly dangerous films with Memento, Inception, The Darkish Knight, and others, The Prisoners might doubtlessly be his boldest creation but. The unique collection is imbued with a weird and nightmarish Kafkaesque expertise akin to Orson Welles’ 1962 thriller The Trial, a dangerous image that notoriously flopped on the field workplace by incomes simply $93,533 towards a $1.3 million finances (through Field Workplace Mojo). By doubtlessly making The Prisoner his subsequent movie, Nolan topics himself to an identical monetary danger whereas additionally doubtlessly alienating or upsetting viewers.

Associated

Christopher Nolan Didn’t Write or Perceive The Darkish Knight’s Most Well-known Line: ‘I’m Stricken by It’

The Darkish Knight director Christopher Nolan reveals that he initially didn’t perceive one of many film’s most quoted traces.

But, one particular person’s danger is one other particular person’s certainty. With Oppenheimer, Nolan has confirmed that he can flip a talky, three-hour historic epic concerning the formation of the atomic bomb into a world blockbuster and multi-Oscar-winning film. If anybody is poised to tackle a dangerous mission like The Prisoner, Nolan is arguably essentially the most succesful director in Hollywood to get the job performed.

Nolan’s curiosity in making The Prisoner dates again to at the least 2009 and now that he reportedly has the inventive freedom that successful two Oscars affords (seven whole for Oppenheimer), the director could also be emboldened to tackle his riskiest film but. Whereas nothing is ready in stone presently, Christopher Nolan might lock up The Prisoner as his subsequent potential big-screen outing. Keep shut because the story continues to develop.