Although Christopher Nolan still hasn’t given one of his most frequent collaborators a lead role, his upcoming remake of a ‘60s cult classic gives the duo the perfect chance to reunite. Christopher Nolan has built up a stable of regular collaborators, with a handful of actors appearing in numerous movies by the director. Among Christopher Nolan’s most frequent collaborators are Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Cillian Murphy, with the latter racking up five appearances in the director’s movies before getting the lead role in Oppenheimer. One of Nolan’s most notable collaborators still hasn’t played a lead role for him.

Although the duo have worked on three movies together, Tom Hardy has never led a Christopher Nolan movie. The actor had roles in The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, and Dunkirk, but has yet to gain the lead in one of Nolan’s projects. Fortunately, Nolan’s next movie allows the pair to rectify this. Nolan is reportedly set to remake The Prisoner, a 1967 British miniseries about a spy who wakes up in a mysterious village and discovers that he is trapped in an idyllic, enigmatic community. Hardy is perfectly positioned to take on the lead role of Number Six.

Tom Hardy Is Perfect For Christopher Nolan’s The Prisoner Remake

Hardy Is Well Suited To The Prisoner’s Number Six

Tom Hardy would be ideal as The Prisoner’s Number Six in Nolan’s remake for a variety of reasons. For one thing, he is British, so he is perfectly suited to playing The Prisoner’s stoic protagonist. Ironically, the original show’s star and creator, Patrick McGoohan, is actually Irish-American, but Number Six was a British spy trapped in The Village, a trippy location that was eventually revealed to be just outside London. For another, Hardy already played a spy in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the character’s duality is suited to his many morally ambiguous roles from earlier in his acting career.

Hardy made a name for himself playing the notorious prisoner Charles Bronson and has managed to humanize characters from Bane to Venom over the years. Number Six was never portrayed as an unambiguously heroic figure and the infamous ending of the miniseries called his entire personality into question with one major reveal. Nolan’s remake of The Prisoner needs to keep this famous ending, and Hardy’s ability to bounce between charismatic heroism and cold-blooded villainy makes him a perfect fit for this story. Finally, Mad Max: Fury Road proved Hardy can make a wild-eyed protagonist trapped in a living nightmare compelling.

Tom Hardy’s Casting Makes The Prisoner’s Twist Ending Even Better

Nolan’s Remake Could Utilize Hardy’s Dark Side

Hardy played a killer Nolan villain in The Dark Knight Rises, which would make the reveal that Number One is the same man as Number Six all the more fitting if Hardy does get the role. The infamously obscure finale of The Prisoner featured a shocking moment where Number Six, after spending months trying to hunt down the elusive Number One, finally unmasked the villain. Beneath his mask was another mask, this one of a gorilla, and beneath this mask was Number Six’s own face. It will be tricky for Nolan’s The Prisoner remake to replicate the impact of this surreal ending.

The Prisoner never explained the significance of this moment, with the show instead whisking Number Six off on another chaotic chase before he could process Number One’s identity. However, Hardy’s ability to capture the good and evil sides of his morally complex characters could make this twist more meaningful. Number Six’s similarities to Number One could be made more explicit in the remake, whether this is via Number Six’s authoritarian side or his past. The ending can be read as a literal interpretation of the idea that people make prisoners of themselves, which neatly mirrors Hardy’s early role as Bronson.

Nolan’s The Prisoner Remake Can End One Surprising Career Trend

The Movie Would Mark Hardy’s First Lead Role For The Director

As surprising as it may seem, The Prisoner’s remake would be Hardy’s first lead role for Nolan. The actor’s brief part in Dunkirk was more of a lengthy cameo than a main role, but his portrayal of Bane provided the final Dark Knight movie with a villain almost as memorable as Heath Ledger’s Joker. Meanwhile, his breakout role in Inception allowed Hardy to inject some cheeky humor into the dour world of Nolan’s cerebral blockbuster. After so many solid supporting performances, Hardy is overdue a lead role in a Nolan project.

The star’s oeuvre makes him uniquely suited to the part of Number Six, while his casting wouldn’t preclude The Prisoner from also featuring more of Nolan’s frequent collaborators. Cillian Murphy’s steely-eyed charm would be well suited to the part of Number Two, while Oldman would be perfect for the part of The Supervisor. Thus, Christopher Nolan’s remake of The Prisoner should end one long career trend by turning the director’s frequent scene-stealing collaborator into his latest leading actor.