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Watch The First Trailer For 'Escape At Dannemora' About Incredible Upstate NY Prison Break

Ben Yakas

Published Aug 7, 2018

Modified Aug 7, 2018

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Showtime

Ben Yakas

Published Aug 7, 2018

Modified Aug 7, 2018

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Back in the summer of 2015, we were riveted by the unforgettable prison break at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY. The story had everything: illicit romance, a daring escape, frozen hamburger meat! Now, that highly dramatic breakout and subsequent manhunt is coming to Showtime as an eight-episode limited series, Escape at Dannemora, starring Benicio del Toro, Paul Dano and Patricia Arquette (and directed and executive produced by Ben Stiller). And you can watch the first trailer for it below.

Del Toro plays convicted murderer Richard Matt, who was serving a 25-year sentence at Clinton for killing and dismembering an upstate businessman at the time of the breakout. His partner-in-crime in the breakout, David Sweat, is played by Dano. Matt and Sweat, who had been convicted of killing a NY state sheriff's deputy, concocted an elaborate plan to break out of the prison. Aiding them was Tilly Mitchell, played by Arquette; Mitchell supervised the prison tailor shop, where she was seduced by Matt, who she later said had "complete control" over her at the time.

Mitchell later confessed that she snuck tools, gloves, glasses with lights on them, etc. to Matt and Sweat (some of these tools were hidden in the aforementioned frozen hamburger meat), which enabled the pair to cut through their cell's steel walls, traverse the catwalks in the prison's infrastructure, hack into a steam pipe that wasn't in use, and finally climb out through a manhole on the other side of the prison walls on June 6th, 2015.

"I believe I helped inmate [Richard] Matt and inmate [David] Sweat escape because I was caught up in the fantasy," she said in her confession. "I enjoyed the attention, the feeling both of them gave me and the thought of a different life." She also confessed to having sexual contact with Matt on multiple occasions, and giving him naked photos of herself.

David Sweat, left, and Richard Matt; Sweat was serving a life sentence for killing a sheriff's deputy in Broome County while Matt was serving 25 years for killing his boss

Matt & Sweat were on the lam for weeks afterwards, until Matt was fatally shot during an attempted carjacking and Sweat was captured. Sweat later claimed that he was the mastermind behind the plot, which involved five months of planning the escape with Matt; on top of that, he claims they did a test run the night before the escape.

Escape At Dannemora premieres on Showtime on Sunday, November 18th at 10pm ET/PT. Here's Showtime's description of the show:

Escape at Dannemora

is based on the stranger-than-fiction prison break in upstate New York in the summer of 2015 which spawned a statewide manhunt for two convicted murderers, aided in their escape by a married female prison employee who carried on months-long affairs with both men. Del Toro plays convicted murderer Richard Matt, an artistic yet intimidating force within the prison, who masterminds the escape. Arquette plays Tilly Mitchell, a working class wife and mother who supervises the prison tailor shop and becomes sexually involved with both men, ultimately agreeing to hide hacksaw blades in frozen hamburger meat to help them get out. Dano plays David Sweat, a convicted cop-killer who may have genuine feelings for Tilly and becomes a reluctant partner in Richard Matt’s plot. The cast also features Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Bonnie Hunt, acclaimed actor Eric Lange and Emmy nominee David Morse. Produced by SHOWTIME, ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA is written and executive produced by Brett Johnson (Mad Men) and Oscar nominee Michael Tolkin (The Player), who met while working as writers on RAY DONOVAN. In addition to Stiller, Johnson and Tolkin, Bryan Zuriff (Steve Jobs, RAY DONOVAN), three-time Academy Award nominee Michael De Luca (The Social Network, Fifty Shades of Grey) via Michael De Luca Productions, and Nicky Weinstock for Red Hour Productions serve as executive producers.

Tagged

clinton correctional

dannemora

david sweat

joyce mitchell

prison break

richard matt

showtime

television

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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