Summary
- Christopher Nolan’s potential remake of The Prisoner marks a new direction in his career, following a successful streak of original and adapted films.
- Nolan’s strong command of sci-fi thrillers and relevant themes suggest that The Prisoner remake will likely be another success for the acclaimed director.
- The filmmaker’s consecutive adaptation formula, starting with Oppenheimer, showcases his ability to balance original ideas with studio-friendly adaptations effectively.
Christopher Nolan’s next movie has the potential to break a career trend the director started 14 years ago with an $828 million blockbuster hit. Although things are still developing, Nolan’s possible remake of the British TV show, The Prisoner, looks like it will be the filmmaker’s next project after the massive success of 2023’s Oppenheimer. While mostly known worldwide for his inventive filmmaking techniques and abstract concepts that are rooted in science fiction, Nolan has developed an impressive body of work adapted from other sources in addition to his original ideas.
While all of Nolan’s movies rank among some of cinema’s best, his most recent Oppenheimer Oscar success further solidifies his legacy as one of the greatest directors of all time. Nolan’s original ideas often explore themes of science and humanity’s impact on the world through its use of it. On the other hand, many of Nolan’s adaptations tend to subvert genre expectations to satisfying effect, as seen by the director’s masterful handling of Batman in his Dark Knight trilogy. Nevertheless, Nolan’s potential upcoming movie marks an interesting turn for his career.
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2010’s Inception marks the first time Nolan developed the release structure of making an original film, and then following it with an adapted film as seen with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.
Christopher Nolan Has Flipped Between Original & Adapted Movies Since Inception
Nolan’s potential remake of The Prisoner would continue the original-adaptation structure started by Inception.
2010’s Inception marks the first time Nolan developed the release structure of making an original film, and then following it with an adapted film as seen with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. The structure has worked out perfectly fine for Nolan, as it’s given audiences a unique opportunity to see the filmmaker tackle truly abstract ideas via his own original screenplays, while balancing things with more studio-friendly releases as demonstrated by many of his adaptations. While Nolan maintained the formula for 14 years, his potential remake of The Prisoner will mark a different career path.
Remaking The Prisoner Will Give Christopher Nolan Two Consecutive Adaptation Movies
Nolan’s consecutive adaptation run could mark a new direction in the filmmaker’s career.
Based on Nolan’s success with his adaptation of the Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin 2005 book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Nolan directing The Prisoner bodes well for the filmmaker. Furthermore, Nolan’s adaptations of Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight trilogy lend even more credence as to why The Prisoner will likely be another success. Oppenheimer worked incredibly well because, despite being an adaptation, Nolan was able to exercise a level of artistic freedom that made the story engaging.
Nolan’s strong command of sci-fi thrillers and handling of themes relevant to fighting oppressive forces all but guarantee the remake’s success.
While Oppenheimer is an adaptation of the book and based on real-life events, Nolan still excelled in making the story palatable for global audiences. The Prisoner is a 1960s British TV show that sees a secret agent fight to escape a pseudo-perfect community, all while refusing to give up compromising information that his captors want. Nolan’s strong command of sci-fi thrillers and handling of themes relevant to fighting oppressive forces all but guarantee the remake’s success. Based on his previous success with adapting material, The Prisoner could mark an interesting consecutive adaptation formula for Christopher Nolan’s career.
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
Release Date
July 21, 2023
Studio(s)
Syncopy Inc.
, Atlas Entertainment
Runtime
150 Minutes