The TV Zone

(JC by Stefano Paltera)

Jesus will star in the AMC remake of "The Prisoner," the network announced a few minutes ago. Oh, and Gandalf too.

Heck of a cast, wouldn't you say?

The much-touted, etc. six-part mini which'll air sometime next year, is based - as you are richly aware - on the '67 classic starring Patrick McGoohan. As you also recall, Mac played a secret service agent who decided to retire and go on a long-deserved vacation. He was kidnapped and put in a place called the Village and assigned a number ("6") and was constantly being bothered by the Village boss (Number "2") and wanted (of course) to escape but Number "1" (the real boss) always thwarted him. And so on. It was a great show, or so I'm told. If he had been around at the time, this probably woulda been a Kafka's favorite, too.

Caviezel will play No."6," while Ian McKellen is "2."

“Bill Gallagher’s [series writer] new version of The Prisoner is an enthralling commentary on modern culture. It is witty, intelligent and disturbing. I am very excited to be involved,” said McKellen.

"Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen bring an incredible level of talent to the project, and we’re honored they are taking on these important roles. We look forward to this production revitalizing a classic and bringing Patrick McGoohan’s brilliant and captivating story to an entirely new generation of viewers,” said AMC bossman Charlie Collier.

(Photo: I love this shot of Caviezel - taken by Stefano Paltera - during "The Passion of the Christ" days. Don't you?)