"The Prisoner" to be unshackled on AMC

One of the coolest shows of all time is the '60s classic "The Prisoner," which starred Patrick McGoohan (who also created the series) as a secret agent who resigned his position and was promptly and summarily kidnapped and stranded in a bucolic prison known only as "The Village." There, he was renamed "No. 6" and he and his interrogators - were they from his own government or an enemy's? - played ingenious cat-and-mouse games of mind-control. Eventually, he prevailed - or did he? - well, at least he got out of the Village. "The Prisoner" made all sorts of trippy points about freedom and free will and conformity and how spiffy black jackets with white piping on the lapels are.

And now, AMC - which clearly, after the success of "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," is feeling its oats - will be remaking "The Prisoner" as a six-part miniseries slated to air in 2009. Jim Caviezel will star as No. 6, with Ian McKellen playing No. 2, the sinister head of The Village. (In the original series, there were a series of No. 2's; the job had a fearsome attrition rate; the only contemporary job with such little job security is that of print journalist. Also, the identity of No. 1 was an ongoing mystery that was resolved, sort of, with a literary device rarely used in television called "symbolism.")

This is a project that has seemingly been in a perpetual state of development, until now. Given how we've only become more paranoid and querulous over issues of security and privacy in recent years, the time seems indeed ripe for a re-imagining of the series. From the press release:

"While 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, yet also showcase the same key elements of paranoia, tense action and socio-political commentary seen in McGoohan's enigmatic original."

McKellen in the press release, declares that the "new version of 'The Prisoner' is an enthralling commentary on modern culture. It is witty, intelligent and disturbing. I am very excited to be involved." And he wouldn't lie about something like that, would he?