Christopher Nolan was twice attracted to remaking *The Prisoner*, the classic 1967 British spy series, first in 2009 and again after winning his two Academy Awards, but neither attempt materialised. Although a Nolan-directed remake now looks unlikely, the original series is highlighted as essential viewing for fans of his films, given how closely its themes and style echo his own body of work.

Created by and starring Patrick McGoohan, *The Prisoner* follows a British intelligence agent abducted after resigning from his government post and held in a mysterious settlement known as "The Village," where he is stripped of his identity and referred to only as "Number Six." The show's nonlinear structure, striking visuals and exploration of individualism versus collectivist control are credited with prefiguring modern "prestige television," and its themes of men torn from ordinary life and forced to question reality closely parallel recurring preoccupations in Nolan's own films.