Deadline is reporting that Benicio del Toro limited series Escape at Dannemora has officially been ordered to series by Showtime.
Based on the true story of a 2015 New York prison break, which has already been adapted into the 2017 Lifetime movie New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell, the series follows intimidating escape mastermind Richard Matt (del Toro) as he and convicted cop killer David Sweat (Paul Dano) seduce prison tailor shop supervisor Tilly Mitchell (Patricia Arquette) and manipulate her into helping them escape. The escape then leads to a manhunt for the two fugitives and forces Tilly into a position she never thought she would ever find herself.
Escape at Dannemora joins a drama slate for Showtime that includes Shameless, Homeland, Billions, and Ray Donovan and becomes the latest limited series the network has developed. Among the other limited series in the Showtime coffers are John Ridley’s Guerilla; the revival of Twin Peaks; Benedict Cumberbatch-starrer Melrose, about an aristocratic playboy struggling to overcome a tough upbringing; and Purity, a narratively complex psychological thriller starring Daniel Craig.
Production on Escape at Dannemora is set to begin later this year.
