Acclaimed actors Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellan have signed on for AMC’s miniseries adaptation of the 1960 cult series, The Prisoner.
AMC is co-producing the six-part miniseries, which is slated to bow worldwide in 2009, with ITV Productions and Granada International. The Prisoner will mark AMC’s second original series project, behind the Emmy Award-winning westernBroken Trail.
Although the original series, which debuted in 1967, was a riff on Cold War politics, AMC’s reinterpretation will reflect 21st century concerns and anxieties, such as liberty, security, and surveillance. At the same time it will also touch on paranoia, action and socio-political commentary seen in Patrick McGoohan’s enigmatic original.
Caviezel (Passion of the Christ,The Thin Red Line) Caviezel will play the title role of “Number Six,” the part made famous by McGoohan. McKellan (Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code) will co-star, playing the role of “Number Two.”
“Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen bring an incredible level of talent to the project, and we’re honored they are taking on these important roles. We look forward to this production revitalizing a classic and bringing Patrick McGoohan’s brilliant and captivating story to an entirely new generation of viewers,” said AMC general manager, executive vice president Charlie Collier in a statement. “The caliber of Hollywood talent AMC is attracting further validates our programming vision and our successful strategy of producing quality cinematic originals that stand alongside our library of iconic movies.”
