Christopher Nolan's Next Movie May Be A Remake - But The Simpsons Already Killed It
Christopher Nolan is on top of the world right now. He's a recently minted best director Oscar winner for "Oppenheimer," which also took home the Academy Award for best picture. In addition to accolades, Variety reports Nolan has taken home an impressive payday just shy of $100 million for his work on the biopic of the father of the atomic bomb. Additionally, there's an intriguing tidbit on what project Nolan could line up next, and it should sound familiar to fans of "The Simpsons."
Variety reports that Nolan is interested in adapting the 1960s series "The Prisoner" for the big screen. "The Prisoner" is an underrated British show everyone should watch about an unnamed intelligence agent who's held prisoner on a mysterious island with no hope of escape. The storyline was parodied on Season 12, Episode 6, of "The Simpsons," titled "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes." After spreading fake news online, Homer (Dan Castellaneta) is sent to a similar mysterious island where he's constantly drugged.
"The Simpsons" has parodied many pop culture staples, but "The Prisoner" may be its most obscure reference to date. That's partially what makes it awesome, as it even has "The Prisoner" star Patrick McGoohan playing his character from the show. It's a bold reference for "The Simpsons" to have gone with, especially considering many viewers likely hadn't seen the show when the episode aired. If nothing else, that episode has likely primed many for Nolan's potential next picture.
The Prisoner is a perfect Christopher Nolan project
It absolutely makes sense Christopher Nolan would be interested in adapting "The Prisoner." It's an exceptionally influential television series that dabbles in surrealism, functioning as an allegorical conceit between individualism and collectivism. Such heady concepts are prime for Nolan to explore. Plus, the show has the added benefit of dealing with spies. In a way, it could be considered an anti-James Bond project, and Nolan would also make a great candidate to direct a Bond film. "The Prisoner" feels right up his alley, the opportunity to create a thinking man's spy movie while introducing a generation to a fantastic sci-fi series.
"The Simpsons" made fun of "The Prisoner," but it should give viewers a taste of what to expect if they want to watch that episode on Disney+. Granted, the "Prisoner" portion of "The Computer Wore Menace Shows" is only the last third of the episode's runtime, but it introduces the audience to the idea of a mysterious power keeping people hidden from the rest of the world against their will. "The Simpsons" also includes the white bubble from "The Prisoner" known as Rover, which could incapacitate anyone trying to leave the island. That white bubble also gets referenced in another "Simpsons" episode — Season 9's "The Joy of Sect" — where Marge (Julie Kavner) escapes it after running away from a cult.
It's clear "The Simpsons" had some fans of "The Prisoner" on its staff. It may not be a mainstream touchstone at this point, but a Christopher Nolan movie remake could change all that. And if people want to get familiar with "The Prisoner," it's a TV series you can watch for free on YouTube.