1/08/2016

Ridley Scott In Talks To Direct Remake of British TV Series 'The Prisoner'


It's possible that Ridley Scott's storied career has never been at a higher point than it is right now, what with The Martian looking like a sure-fire Best Picture contender. Not only that but his Alien franchise has been completely revived, and soon so will Blade Runner which he's producing for director Denis Villeneuve. While he's got tons of other projects already piling up, typical for him, Scott has decided to add one more and it's a big screen remake of British TV series, The Prisoner.

Scott is in talks to direct The Prisoner which features a script most recently penned by William Monahan (The Departed), although a new writer will be brought in now. The series ran for 17 episodes beginning in 1967 and the concept was pretty far out. It centered on an ex-secret agent who is kidnapped and held captive in a mysterious seaside resort where everyone is assigned a number. Dubbed "Number Six", the protagonist is repeatedly questioned about his abrupt departure from the job in order to ascertain what information he holds.

The timing on this one is a little strange given the recent failure of The Man from UNCLE, another cult series from around the same period. With so much going on for Scott i's unclear when he could possibly fit The Prisoner into his schedule.  This spring he'll begin filming on Alien: Covenant and perhaps after that we'll have a clearer where this could fit. [Deadline]