tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post3689854618476450326..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Patrick McGoohan (1928 - 2009)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-89043876257833486252009-01-17T13:09:00.000-05:002009-01-17T13:09:00.000-05:00You're welcome, John. Here's some more info on the...You're welcome, John. Here's some more info on the new version of <I>The Prisoner</I>:<BR/><BR/><B> It was announced in late 2005 that Granada would revive the series for Sky 1 in 2007. Christopher Eccleston was initially rumored to be considered for the title role, and it was reported that the series would be titled <I>Number Six</I> instead of <I>The Prisoner.</I><BR/><BR/>In December 2006, <I>The Hollywood Reporter</I> reported that the American cable TV channel AMC was co-producing <I>The Prisoner</I> with Sky 1, and that it would run at least six to eight episodes, beginning in January 2008 (both in the UK and USA).<BR/><BR/>In May 2007 it was reported that Sky One had pulled out of the re-make due to a disagreement with their co-producer AMC. In August 2007, Richard Woolfe, head of Sky One, stated:<BR/><BR/> <I>"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."</I><BR/><BR/>In October 2007, British broadcaster ITV stepped in to replace Sky One as co-producer with AMC. <BR/><BR/>On 25 April 2008, ITV announced that a new series of <I>The Prisoner</I> will go into production. It was announced in June 2008 that American actor James Caviezel will star in the role of Number 6, with Sir Ian McKellen taking on the role of Number 2 in all six episodes.<BR/><BR/>Other cast members include Ruth Wilson as Number 313, Lennie James as Number 147 and Jamie Campbell Bower as Number 11-12. Hayley Atwell is also cast. Location filming for The Village was in Namibia, in the city of Swakopmund. A production diary is available. (http://blogs.amctv.com/the-prisoner/)<BR/><BR/>After 18 weeks of shooting, principal photography wrapped on December 12 2008 and will be broadcast in 2009. AMC is now streaming all 17 episodes of the original in advance of its remake. (http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/tube-talk/tube-talk/2009/01/revisit-the-prisoner-online/)</B> (Oops, the part about the show being written by one of the <I>Mad Men</I> is in error, sorry.-Lionel)Lionel Braithwaitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024473793409118944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-13046931352016316102009-01-16T12:42:00.000-05:002009-01-16T12:42:00.000-05:00Those facts are indeed promising, Lionel. Glad you...Those facts are indeed promising, Lionel. Glad you wrote in to point 'em out.<BR/><BR/>But we're not haters simply because we're not looking forward to a remake of a classic TV series, one incidentally, which has no input from the creator of the original material.<BR/><BR/>We're just being careful -- we've been burned before by remakes. <BR/><BR/>I don't think I need to provide a list, but it would certainly be topped by the remake of Planet of the Apes from Tim Burton.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for writing, Lionel! I hope you're absolutely right and the new Prisoner is terrific.<BR/><BR/>That would be great. (I'm just afraid unlikely).<BR/><BR/>best,<BR/>JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-30435424950328328782009-01-16T12:35:00.000-05:002009-01-16T12:35:00.000-05:00For all of you haters, the remake's being done by ...For all of you haters, the remake's being done by Lionsgate for AMC, and will be a TV series;apparently also, the writer for will be from the series <I>Mad Men</I>.Lionel Braithwaitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024473793409118944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-8008891351835561332009-01-15T12:33:00.000-05:002009-01-15T12:33:00.000-05:00We watched the entire "Prisoner" DVD box set and a...We watched the entire "Prisoner" DVD box set and are now tearing through "Danger Man" (AKA Secret Agent) and I have to say, McGoohan definitely embodies manliness for me. LOL <BR/><BR/>NPR did a nice little spot on him this morning...longer even then the spot they did right after on Ricardo. Sad news to wake up to but I'm glad they were remembered on the air.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-67826811371746114242009-01-15T10:20:00.000-05:002009-01-15T10:20:00.000-05:00There's a scene in the film HIGH FIDELITY where Jo...There's a scene in the film HIGH FIDELITY where John Cusack is talking to someone in a bar and he asks his buddy, played by Jack Black who starred in THE PRISONER and Black responds, "McGoohan!" in an annoyed tone as if to say that Cusack's character was a cultural philistine for not being able to remember that McGoohan starred in the show. This little throwaway bit of business in the film always makes me smile every time it happens and is a nice little shout-out to the show.<BR/><BR/>McGoohan will certainly be missed. Thank goodness he did not live to see a possible Hollywood "re-imagining" of his show.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-59866088907219576962009-01-14T23:11:00.000-05:002009-01-14T23:11:00.000-05:00Just like you, Number 6 and Capt Kirk were probabl...Just like you, Number 6 and Capt Kirk were probably the two biggest influences in shaping what I thought it meant to be hero, or just to be a man. I honor and respect and thank them for that.KPaffenrothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02323273575993522455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-83759413313112734642009-01-14T20:44:00.000-05:002009-01-14T20:44:00.000-05:00I share your grief over this lost hero. I still fo...I share your grief over this lost hero. I still fondly remember McGoohan in Disney's The Scarecrow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com