According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Stiller has officially identified his next directing project, and he already has some big names to headline. Patricia Arquette and Benicio Del Toro are currently in negotiations to star in the prison escape series. The limited series will contain eight 1-hour episodes.
Based on the real events of the 2015 prison escape in upstate New York, the two main characters will be Richard Matt (Del Toro) and David Sweat, two inmates who were discovered missing at the maximum security Clinton Correction Facility. They are alleged to have been aided in their escape by a married female prison employee, who worked at the tailor shop (Arquette) with whom both men had become sexually involved with. The role of David Sweat has yet to be cast.
The eight episodes will be written by Brett Johnson (Mad Men) and Michael Tolkin (The Player), with both serving as executive producers. The two writers met while working as writers on Showtime’s Ray Donovan.
Bryan Zuriff (Steve Jobs, War Dogs), (Fifty Shades of Grey, The Social Network) will serve as producers, with Ben Stiller’s production company Red Hour Films also producing under Nicky Weinstock.
Although Stiller is typically remembered as an actor, he has directed numerous projects including Zoolander, Zoolander 2, Tropic Thunder, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Stiller recently served as producer for Why Him? starring James Franco and Bryan Cranston, as well as executive producer for The Polka King starring Jack Black, Jason Schwartzman, and Jenny Slate. Look for him to be acting in upcoming Netflix comedy feature The Meyerowitz Stories alongside Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson, as well as Brad’s Status with Jenna Fischer, Michael Sheen, and Luke Wilson.
Del Toro is most well-known for his roles in the 1995 film Usual Suspects and the 2000 film Traffic, the latter of which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Look for him to reprise his roles in Avengers: Infinity War and Soldado, the sequel to 2015 film Sicario. Del Toro will also be the villain in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, coming out in December.
Arquette won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2015 for Boyhood. Next up look for her to star alongside Rainn Wilson in the indie comedy Permanent. In the next two years, look for her in the film adaptation of The Bell Jar, directed by Kirsten Dunst, as well as Arquette’s voice as a character in Toy Story 4.
Look for Escape at Clinton Correctional to premiere on Showtime next year.