Although not exactly breaking news, I have just discovered that Christopher Nolan is set to direct a film adaptation of cult TV series The Prisoner, after the next Batman installment, The Dark Knight (due in 2008).

The Prisoner has to be the greatest television series ever produced (its only rival being Twin Peaks). Only 17 episodes were made between 1967 and 1968. The show concerned a British spy who resigned from his role, only to be instantly abducted and taken to “The Village”, an odd town full of fellow prisoners, guarded by a giant white orb. The prisoners are numbered, and our hero is only known as Number Six. The village and its CCTV ubiquity is controlled by Number Two, whose mission is to discover the reason for Six quitting.

Number One remains a mystery that Six constantly strives to uncover. In the village, Six has two choices, either confess all, or submit to a life of being blissfully drugged and conforming to the villages rules. Needless to say, Six refuses to do both, and the series consists of his mental and physical lunging and parrying with the mysterious organisation that imprisoned him.

What made this series so wonderful was its sense of the surreal. The Village is not a gloomy dungeon, but a multicoloured upper-class haven. The methods employed by Number Two are as inventive as they are barmy. The show managed to create its own visual vocabulary as a means to project fears about a society advanced beyond its own capability. Even with the final episode, the story remains utterly open to interpretation, a brave move for a conservative country.

So you may be wondering why my heart is broken. Well, in my naive aspirations to become an established script writer, and maybe even director, adapting The Prisoner was a personal ambition in my imaginary career. Ever since I stayed up until 2am during the summer between high-school terms to watch repeats about a decade ago, the show captured my imagination. It was enigmatic enough to keep me wondering, but not so vague to never excite (which is what Lost unfortunately feels to be doing). And ever since then I have been collecting thoughts to assemble a story worthy to tell on the silver screen. There were rumours a while ago that Simon West was to direct an adaptation, and thank god that was thwarted.

Nevertheless, there are still concerns about an adaptation. Of the four Nolan films I have seen, two have been good (Memento and The Prestige), and two have been disappointing (Insomnia and Batman Begins). My main concern is that the film will not retain the metaphorical, open ending of the series, and explain the intrigue away with a string-tying speech as per The Prestige. In my opinion, the film should be as dark as possible in theme and direction (but not in art design, those ultra-bright colours are somehow eerie in the original series), and addressing ever-present social concerns… the affects of identity by an ever-watching nation, the increasingly complicated spin, mental and physical, employed by those in power, and hopefully the issue of sexuality, which the original series didn’t touch too much. Consider this an open request for employment to Mr. Nolan, or else a letter for Santa to do something to ruin the production.

The only other tidbits of information, taken from a hard-copy issue of Starlog Magazine and this fan site, is that Clive Owen is a candidate as Number Six, and that David-Webb and Janet Peoples are writing it. Owen is not a bad choice, but for me Gary Oldman has the rage to carry the role paved by Patrick McGoohan. And I have ambiguous feelings about writers who penned films like Blade Runner and 12 Monkeys, but also Soldier and The Blood of Heroes.

In other Prisoner news, UK digital station Sky One is broadcasting a mini-series remake of the Prisoner next year, supposedly entitled Number Six.

Today is just not my day.