Looking back on Michael Scofield’s (Wentworth Miller) badass full upper-body tattoo on Fox’s nail-biting hit crime drama “Prison Break,” it was more of a gimmick than a genuine plot device. But, without a doubt, the reveal and function of his concealed blueprint tattoo was one of the coolest moments in the freshman season — maybe even in the entire series that originally ran from 2005 to 2009, and then for a revival season in 2017. Yet, as tough as Miller looked with his ink, once Season 1 concluded with the successful escape, the tattoo no longer had a purpose story-wise and became more of a nuisance to the actor (and the character) for several reasons.
In an interview with The Futon Critic in 2008 (right before the premiere of Season 4), Miller explained why the tattoo overstayed its welcome and had to be gone in the story. He said, “It was a fan favorite the first season, but then Michael escaped — mission accomplished.” While the tattoo had served its purpose for the plot, it was a cause of discomfort for Miller. “That resulted in me in Dallas in 120-degree heat wearing long sleeve shirts because we’re still pretending that I actually have the damn thing on,” the actor said. Thankfully, Michael gets his iconic tattoo removed in the first episode of “Prison Break” Season 4.
Prison Break will return, but with a completely new cast and plot
Hollywood simply isn’t capable of letting classic shows rest peacefully, thus it’s not much of a surprise that “Prison Break” is getting its own reboot. Hulu officially greenlit the new series, which will have an entirely new cast alongside a fresh narrative placed in the world where the original series took place. Miller apparently won’t be returning as Scofield (not even for a cameo), but it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if some of the old characters showed up in one way or another in the new iteration. Still, that won’t be the main angle of the reboot, helmed by showrunner Elgin James with Paul Scheuring (creator of the original) and Dawn Olmstead serving as executive producers.
Whether the tattoo returns in some shape or form remains a question, but it’d be a nice homage to the original if we got a different and modern version of it somehow. We’ll see if it happens, although the reboot doesn’t have an official release date yet as of this writing.