‘The Prisoner’ Comes to Comic-Con

I was a huge fan of the original 1960s version of this innovative and hugely entertaining series, which was created, written by and starred the fantastic Patrick McGoohan. So naturally, when AMC announced their new version, I was a bit skeptical because how could an updated version of the show ever live up to the cult classic original? Until now, there hasn’t been much info to go on to see if my suspicions are correct. But fortunately, AMC is poised to unleash a whole lot of stuff about their version of The Prisoner later this month at Comic-Con.

AMC will host a panel at Comic-Con featuring the stars and producers of its upcoming mini-series. Joining the panel will be Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, Thin Red Line, Pay It Forward), Jamie Campbell-Bower (Sweeney Todd, The Twilight Saga: New Moon) and Lennie James (Jericho). The panel, which is scheduled for Friday, July 24 at 11:30am, also features the shows’ writer Bill Gallagher (Conviction, Clocking Off) and AMC’s Vlad Wolynetz.

During the event, panelists will discuss, among other topics, their personal experience making The Prisoner, shooting the series in Namibia and South Africa and the various themes explored in the re-imagination. This will be followed by a first look at the mini-series and the requisite Q&A session with attendees. But wait, there’s more. Comic-Con attendees will also be able to obtain their own Village identity by visiting The Prisoner booth, AMC will be handing out swag from the show featuring the series iconic taglines and the network will be giving away a mini comic book, created by Marvel, based on the mini-series first hour.

In case you’re one of the few who don’t know the story of The Prisoner, it centers around a former intelligence operative known only as Six (Caviezel) who resigns only to wake up and find himself inexplicably trapped in a mysterious place called The Village, with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his new environment, he discovers that Village residents are identified by number, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. The Village is controlled by one man, the sinister Two (played by Ian McKellan). Throughout the series, “Six” and “Two” are locked in a battle of wits, as “Six” challenges the oppressive nature of The Village and struggles to learn the truth behind it and the identity of the mysterious “Number One.”

AMC’s “re-imagining” of The Prisoner hits the network in November. Check out the original series opening credits, which explains quite a bit about the show, below.