Showtime has given a series order to limited series Escape at Dannemora starring Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) and Paul Dano (Swiss Army Man). Production on the eight-episode season will begin later this year, for a premiere in 2018.
The drama will tell the real-life story of Richard Matt and David Sweat, two inmates who were discovered missing at the maximum security Clinton Correction Facility in New York after being aided in their escape by a female prison employee. The escapes spawned a massive manhunt for the two convicted murderers.
Arquette will play 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. Del Toro will play Richard Matt, an artistic yet intimidating force within the prison who masterminds the escape. Dano will play David Sweat, a convicted cop-killer who uses his good looks to seduce Tilly and becomes a reluctant partner in Richard Matt's plot.
Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin are writing the series, which will be directed by Ben Stiller. They all executive produce with Bryan Zuriff, Michael De Luca and Nicky Weinstock. Red Hour Productions and Michael De Luca Productions produce.
"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."
