New Prisoner: Sneak preview at Comic Con

Stars of ITV's co-produced mini-series The Prisoner, including Jim Caviezel, Jamie Campbell-Bower and Lennie James will be at the upcoming Comic Con 2009 in San Diego at the end of this month, for a panel event and exclusive sneak preview of the highly anticipated six-part series inspired by the cult 1960s show that starred Patrick McGoohan.

Giveaways at the special event, organised by US co-producer AMC, will include a free Marvel Comics-produced tie-in comic and more.

The Prisoner panel, scheduled for Friday, 24th July at 1130am at the San Diego event, also features The Prisoner writer Bill Gallagher (Conviction, Clocking Off) and AMC’s Vlad Wolynetz, vice president of production, and will be moderated by producer and director Robert Meyer Burnett.

The Prisoner, described as a "re-imagination" of the 1960s cult classic created by the late Patrick McGoohan, premieres this November on AMC in the US, and, presumably, at the same time on ITV. AMC co-produced The Prisoner with Granada and ITV and Granada International will distribute the series worldwide, which was directed by Nick Hurran (It’s a Boy Girl Thing, Little Black Book).

During the hour-long Comic Con event, Burnett will lead panelists in a discussion about their personal experience making The Prisoner, shooting the series in Namibia and South Africa, and the various themes explored in the re-imagination, among other topics, followed by an exclusive first look at the mini-series, and a Q&A session with attendees.

The Prisoner panel will be complemented by a number of on-the-ground activities taking place throughout Comic Con:

• Attendees will have an opportunity to obtain their own Village identity by visiting The Prisoner booth to pick-up an official Village ID badge, on which they will be identified by number only.
• AMC will distribute a mini comic book created by Marvel Comics, based on the mini-series first hour. (Marvel, coincidentally, sought to publish a Prisoner book in the 1970s and Jack Kirby drew some 17 pages before the project was cancelled)
* AMC will distribute limited edition items featuring the original series’ iconic taglines such as “Be Seeing You,” “You Only Think You’re Free” and “I Am Not A Number.”

As with the original show, The Prisoner tells the story of a man, “Six” (Caviezel), who wakes up to find himself inexplicably trapped in a mysterious and surreal place, The Village, with no memory of how he arrived. As he frantically 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 and charismatic “Two” (Sir Ian McKellen). 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.

The Prisoner is AMC’s second original mini-series and combines a wide range of genres, including espionage, thriller and sci-fi, into a unique and compelling drama. The six part mini-series will reflect the same key elements of paranoia, surveillance, liberty, and socio-political commentary seen in McGoohan’s enigmatic original.