Another day has arrived, with yet another report of big stars finding compelling material on the small screen. In case you didn’t have enough to binge on already, Showtime is now brewing a limited series that already has the makings of must-see television.
Ben Stiller will direct “Escape From Clinton Correctional” starring Benicio Del Toro and Patricia Arquette. The project will dramatize that incredible and wild true story of Richard Matt and David Sweat, who broke out of the titular maximum security prison in New York with the help of employee Joyce Mitchell, who wanted Richard to kill her husband. She got cold feet on that latter idea, and Matt and Sweat went on the run, leading to a three-week manhunt that gripped the nation. Del Toro will play Richard Matt, and Arquette will take the role of Joyce Mitchell, with Stiller working on a script from “Ray Donovan” writers Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin.
The project has tons of potential, and it’s a nice gear shift for Stiller whose directorial efforts have flirted with drama, but never quite as heavily as this. It’ll be quite the challenge to dive into an eight-episode series, but the story is truly cinematic. We’ll definitely keep this on our radar, but for now, check out some original news reports of the true tale below. [THR]