Summary

• Nolan's next project may be a remake of 'The Prisoner', marking a return to adaptation after 22 years.
• 'The Prisoner' remake could showcase a trippier, more ambitious style of filmmaking from Nolan.
• This remake could allow Nolan to play with ambiguity and leave major questions unanswered, unlike his more straightforward plots.

The news that all of Christopher Nolan’s movies are based on literary inspirations, including a rumored project.

Although rumors persisted that Nolan’s next movie is The Prisoner, this would mark a career shift.

The Prisoner Will Be Christopher Nolan's First Remake Since 2002's Insomnia

Nolan’s last remake was an acclaimed 2002 psychological thriller

Since 2006’s The Prestige was an adaptation of a novel and his Batman movies were comic adaptations, The Prisoner would be Nolan’s first true remake since 2002’s acclaimed Insomnia. That psychological thriller was based on the 1997 Norwegian movie of the same name by director Erik Skjoldbjærg. Starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, Insomnia tells the story of a haunted detective who hunts for a clinical serial killer in an Alaskan village where the sun never sets. Insomnia was adored by reviewers upon release, earning a 92% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The remake set Nolan’s reputation in stone.

Remaking The Prisoner could allow Nolan to show off a trippier, more ambitious style of filmmaking.

While 2000’s Memento was a major critical success, the earlier Nolan movie’s non-linear structure meant that the sleeper hit could have become a one-off for the filmmaker. Instead, Insomnia proved that Nolan’s unique storytelling style wasn’t a gimmick and the director could make a straightforward thriller that was just as tense, inventive, and effective as Memento. Similarly, remaking The Prisoner could allow Nolan to show off a trippier, more ambitious style of filmmaking. Like Insomnia, the TV miniseries remake could display a new side of the director’s oeuvre by proving that not all of Nolan’s movies are governed by logic.

How Christopher Nolan Remaking The Prisoner Will Be Different From Insomnia

The Oppenheimer director is rebooting a TV show this time around

Nolan’s remake of The Prisoner would be very different from Insomnia for numerous reasons. For one thing, he is well-established as a Hollywood hitmaker now, whereas Insomnia was his first studio movie. As such, The Prisoner’s Nolan remake could command a bigger budget. For another, Insomnia is one of Nolan’s most accessible movies in of the straightforward plot. Throughout his career, Nolan has been accused of over-explaining his complex plots in movies like Inception and Tenet. The Prisoner could allow Christopher Nolan to leave major questions unanswered, proving that the filmmaker can play with ambiguity while honoring the original series.