Monday morning was bright and hot and not nearly as crowded as the last three days had been. As I headed towards the last panel of my venture, a tired Alice in Wonderland shuffled across the street beside me, her – or his – hairy legs working in tune with her companion, a wiry bearded man with an ax stuck in his head.
A lot of panels were moved or cancelled on Monday, and I was worried that mine would be, too. The British science fiction track hall at the Sheraton was busy with travelers moving luggage out, and it took a few moments to work through the crowd and read the poster schedule. Several white balloons floated around the front of the room, assuring me that the panel was on and ready – mini-Rovers, if you will, for The Prisoner fans.
Everyone present was well aware that we had lost the great Patrick McGoohan, AKA Number Six, earlier this year. McGoohan, while building his incredible acting vita (Silver Streak, Escape From Alcatraz), paved the way in the battle for creative rights for actors, or ‘fighting the studio.’ Great discussion was held on the appropriateness of – or perhaps comfort level with – an American actor, James Caviezel, as his successor in the upcoming American Movie Classics’ five part miniseries, set for a November premiere. No one questioned Ian McKellen’s position as Number Two, second because he is British, and first because he is such a prodigious actor. Perhaps, one panelist suggested, we should consider Caviezel in that same light. We weren’t sure about that; after all, Caviezel isn’t a McKellen.
The minseries isn’t about reconstructing the original, which is good news and bad news. Nimibia, which is in the middle of a desert, according to panelists, offers a beautiful setting for The Village, but presented some problems for a few of us. The desert means, of course, no water, no medium from which our precious Rover might emerge. The sand, perhaps? There was also some concern over the addition of an obnoxious teenage son for Number Two. Honestly, why? How much do we want to know about Number Two and his personal life, or if he even has one?
American Movie Classics hosts a wiki, including a production blog, along with an extended trailer for the minseries, which premiered at ComicCon earlier this summer. Does Rover’s entrance, sans water, still excite and terrify? While watching the trailer later, I was relieved at my own reaction to my favorite presence in the original series, which makes my interest in the miniseries grow from mere curiosity to serious attention. While it is difficult to view it as it stands, apart from the original, it looks to be best interpreted as such, and not as an exact replication or desire to imitate the fascinating classic. One can only hope that the new doesn’t explain the old overmuch; the ambiguity of the original fed the show’s high suspense, and if Number Two has a personal life – again, a teenage son? – there may be more explication than fans desire.
Dean Motter, creator of The Prisoner graphic novel, responded to praise and questions regarding his own work and other publications about The Prisoner. “Your book works. You captured the nuance of the series between those pages,” one fan assured him. He was humble accepting his due, and later, at the art and comic gallery, truly sorry to be out of copies to sell me. He asked for my business card, and promised to send a signed copy to me, gratis. In exchange, he gave me his card, and asked me to email the picture I snapped of him with my daughter, who enjoyed playing with a mini-Rover although perfectly aware of the role the giant balloon creation plays in the show.
Armed with a copy of Motter’s Alice in Wonderland and a signed Mouse Guard sketchbook – yes, we returned to David Peterson, who may, at that point, have begun to consider us stalkers – we headed to an unplanned end: the pre-registration desk, to purchase tickets for next year’s Con, where we expect to find droves of Green Lanterns, orange knit hats, and the welcoming Georgia sunshine.
[nggallery id=266]
