Showtime has announced that it has given the green light to Escape at Dannemora, a new limited series from Ben Stiller, which will star Benicio Del Toro, Paul Dano and Patricia Arquette and tells the true story of a 2015 New York prison break which sparked a massive manhunt for two convicted murderers who were aided by a married female prison employee with whom they both became sexually entangled.
Del Toro will play convicted murderer Richard Matt, an artistic yet intimidating force within the prison, who masterminds the escape. Arquette is set to portray Tilly Mitchell, a working class, married woman who supervises the prison tailor shop and becomes sexually involved with both convicts, inducing her to assist them with their escape. Dano meanwhile will portray David Sweat, a convicted cop-killer who uses his good looks to seduce Tilly and becomes a reluctant partner in Richard Matt’s plot.
”We are all very intent on trying to tell this singular story in a way that shows the reality and humanity of the people involved,” said Stiller. “While the genre is a prison escape story, at its core it is a story about real people, some criminals and some not, who make some bad choices that have huge consequences. I think that’s what’s so compelling about this.”
Stiller is set to serve as executive producer on the limited series, as well as directing all eight episodes. Production is gearing up to get underway in New York.
Originally published June 4, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
