Sir Ian Mckellen to take on sinister role in remake of "The Prisoner"

Out icon Sir Ian McKellen will bring his talents to the small screen in a six part "re-imagining" of the cult 60's show The Prisoner.

Ian will star as Number Two, one of the men in charge of "The Village", who makes life difficult for Number Six (played by Jim Caviezel, who last played Jesus), a man who awakens to find himself trapped in this strange environment.

According to the producers, there will be something for fans of the original, but the new version will stand alone.

"There will be nods and winks and references back to the original, but I don't think that they'll feel in any way that their original has been tarnished." "Even though this would fall under sci-fi traditionally, this is a drama at its core." While the original show worked as a metaphor for the paranoia of the Cold War, AMC says that the remake will reflect 21st stressors like constant surveillance and the conflict between liberty and security.

I don't remember much about The Prisoner, but I hope they try and keep at least one lasting, nightmare-inducing image: That creepy, giant ball thing that would bounce around and envelop people who tried to escape. I tried to recreate it with Bubble Yum and a a little green Army Man, but the subject ... did not survive.

After the break, you can see the ultra-groovy opening to the original series ... in French!