Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman Remake Coming From Tim Burton And ... Gone Girl Author Gillian Flynn?
If you've been missing the acidic wit of "Gone Girl" and "Sharp Objects" author Gillian Flynn lately, don't worry: she's reportedly back in the screenwriting game, this time with a script that's set to become a Tim Burton movie, per Variety.
According to the outlet, Burton is set to direct a new version of "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" penned by Flynn, with Andrew Mittman and Tommy Harper producing and Kai Dolbashian on board as an EP. Mittman and Harper worked with Burton on Netflix's smash hit "Wednesday," and hopefully the unlikely director-screenwriter duo will bring new life to the story (which comes from the 1958 B-movie of the same name).
Apparently, it's unclear as of yet how much Burton and Flynn's "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" will follow its predecessor, but it's worth noting that the Nathan Hertz-directed original featured a literal 50-foot woman who was...
According to the outlet, Burton is set to direct a new version of "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" penned by Flynn, with Andrew Mittman and Tommy Harper producing and Kai Dolbashian on board as an EP. Mittman and Harper worked with Burton on Netflix's smash hit "Wednesday," and hopefully the unlikely director-screenwriter duo will bring new life to the story (which comes from the 1958 B-movie of the same name).
Apparently, it's unclear as of yet how much Burton and Flynn's "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" will follow its predecessor, but it's worth noting that the Nathan Hertz-directed original featured a literal 50-foot woman who was...
- 2/1/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Variety reports that HBO is developing a limited series based on Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places. If that strikes a chord, you might remember that Dark Places was previously adapted into a film starring Charlize Theron. The film received mediocre reviews and only grossed $5.1 million upon its release in 2015, so it’s entirely understandable if you don’t remember it.
The logline of the novel, which was originally published in 2009, states: “Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in the famous 1985 ‘Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.’ She survived—and famously testified that her teenage brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, a pair of mother/daughter true crime ‘detectives’ locate a grownup Libby and pump her for details, believing that Ben is innocent. Libby, having spent her youth working the talk show circuit, hopes to once again turn a profit off her tragic history:...
The logline of the novel, which was originally published in 2009, states: “Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in the famous 1985 ‘Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.’ She survived—and famously testified that her teenage brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, a pair of mother/daughter true crime ‘detectives’ locate a grownup Libby and pump her for details, believing that Ben is innocent. Libby, having spent her youth working the talk show circuit, hopes to once again turn a profit off her tragic history:...
- 1/30/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
What if I told you that almost ten years ago, famous author Gillian Flynn had one of her novels adapted into a feature film starring the likes of Charlize Theron, Christina Hendricks, Nicholas Hoult, Corey Stoll, Tye Sheridan, and even a young Chloë Grace Moretz, for good measure? You'd probably accuse me of lying, since that first attempt to bring Flynn's 2009 book "Dark Places" to life mostly just came and went after releasing to poor reviews and has promptly been memory-holed by the moviegoing public at large. While that was a blow at the time — don't worry, Flynn was probably comforting herself with the fact that yet another adaptation of her work, David Fincher's "Gone Girl," had become an instant hit the year before — that loss has now become HBO's gain.
Variety reports that the network behind the hit series "Sharp Objects" is back in the Gillian Flynn business once again,...
Variety reports that the network behind the hit series "Sharp Objects" is back in the Gillian Flynn business once again,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Gillian Flynn is returning to HBO following “Sharp Objects.”
The author will adapt her novel “Dark Places” into a HBO limited series, as IndieWire can confirm. Variety first reported the announcement.
Flynn, whose novel “Gone Girl” was adapted in an Oscar-nominated David Fincher film, will serve as co-creator, writer, and co-showrunner with Brett Johnson (“Escape at Dannemora”). Guerrin Gardner is also credited as a co-creator and writer for “Dark Places.”
The 2009 novel follows Libby Day across decades as she revisits the death of her mother and two sisters amid an alleged Satanic killing spree in Kinnakee, Kansas in 1985. While Libby survived, she testified that her teenage brother Ben was the murderer.
Per the logline, “Now, 25 years later, a pair of mother/daughter true crime ‘detectives’ locate a grownup Libby and pump her for details, believing that Ben is innocent. Libby, having spent her youth working the talk show circuit, hopes...
The author will adapt her novel “Dark Places” into a HBO limited series, as IndieWire can confirm. Variety first reported the announcement.
Flynn, whose novel “Gone Girl” was adapted in an Oscar-nominated David Fincher film, will serve as co-creator, writer, and co-showrunner with Brett Johnson (“Escape at Dannemora”). Guerrin Gardner is also credited as a co-creator and writer for “Dark Places.”
The 2009 novel follows Libby Day across decades as she revisits the death of her mother and two sisters amid an alleged Satanic killing spree in Kinnakee, Kansas in 1985. While Libby survived, she testified that her teenage brother Ben was the murderer.
Per the logline, “Now, 25 years later, a pair of mother/daughter true crime ‘detectives’ locate a grownup Libby and pump her for details, believing that Ben is innocent. Libby, having spent her youth working the talk show circuit, hopes...
- 1/30/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
From “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn, the novel Dark Places was first adapted back in 2015 as a movie starring Charlize Theron, and an HBO limited series is now in the works.
Variety reports that Gillian Flynn will serve as co-creator, writer, and co-showrunner on the “Dark Places” series from HBO, with Brett Johnson co-creating, writing and showrunning.
Guerrin Gardner is also credited as co-creator and writer, Variety notes.
Here’s the official synopsis for Gillian Flynn’s 2009 novel…
“Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in the famous 1985 ‘Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.’ She survived—and famously testified that her teenage brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, a pair of mother/daughter true crime ‘detectives’ locate a grownup Libby and pump her for details, believing that Ben is innocent. Libby, having spent her youth working the talk show circuit, hopes to once again...
Variety reports that Gillian Flynn will serve as co-creator, writer, and co-showrunner on the “Dark Places” series from HBO, with Brett Johnson co-creating, writing and showrunning.
Guerrin Gardner is also credited as co-creator and writer, Variety notes.
Here’s the official synopsis for Gillian Flynn’s 2009 novel…
“Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in the famous 1985 ‘Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.’ She survived—and famously testified that her teenage brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, a pair of mother/daughter true crime ‘detectives’ locate a grownup Libby and pump her for details, believing that Ben is innocent. Libby, having spent her youth working the talk show circuit, hopes to once again...
- 1/30/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Hulu is developing The Midcoast, a drama series based on Adam White’s bestselling novel, from Escape at Dannemora co-creator Brett Johnson, Warren Littlefield’s The Littlefield Company and 20th Television.
Written by Johnson, based on White’s novel, The Midcoast is an hourlong drama set on the scenic coast of Maine exploring the rise and fall of Ed Thatch, a lobster fisherman turned blue collar criminal with an unstable devotion to his wife.
The Midcoast was published in June 2022 by Hogarth Press.
Johnson executive produces along with Littlefield, Ann Johnson, Graham Littlefield and Lisa Harrison for The Littlefield Company. White also serves as executive producer. 20th Television, where The Littlefield Company is under a deal, is the studio.
Johnson co-created, executive produced and served as showrunner on Showtime limited series Escape At Dannemora, nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards. He most recently served as co-executive producer and writer on Hulu’s limited series Candy.
Written by Johnson, based on White’s novel, The Midcoast is an hourlong drama set on the scenic coast of Maine exploring the rise and fall of Ed Thatch, a lobster fisherman turned blue collar criminal with an unstable devotion to his wife.
The Midcoast was published in June 2022 by Hogarth Press.
Johnson executive produces along with Littlefield, Ann Johnson, Graham Littlefield and Lisa Harrison for The Littlefield Company. White also serves as executive producer. 20th Television, where The Littlefield Company is under a deal, is the studio.
Johnson co-created, executive produced and served as showrunner on Showtime limited series Escape At Dannemora, nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards. He most recently served as co-executive producer and writer on Hulu’s limited series Candy.
- 1/17/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
No stranger to making recommendations for television shows and movies he’s enjoying, Stephen King has come up with another tip today for what to watch. In this case, it’s Escape at Dannemora, the Showtime limited series about a prison breakout.
In recent weeks, King has talked up the likes of Netflix’s Dark and Amazon Prime’s thriller 7500, while his streaming suggestions have become so frequent that we’ve even had to round them all up for ease-of-reference. Here’s what King had to say about Dannemora via his Twitter feed:
Escape At Dannemora is TV at its best. But the best of the best? The 9-minute+ opening of Episode 5 appears to be one continuous, eye-popping shot. Ben Stiller directs; Jessica Lee Gage is the Dp who brings it off with seemingly effortless panache.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 6, 2020
Strong praise, then, for the seven-episode production, which originally aired...
In recent weeks, King has talked up the likes of Netflix’s Dark and Amazon Prime’s thriller 7500, while his streaming suggestions have become so frequent that we’ve even had to round them all up for ease-of-reference. Here’s what King had to say about Dannemora via his Twitter feed:
Escape At Dannemora is TV at its best. But the best of the best? The 9-minute+ opening of Episode 5 appears to be one continuous, eye-popping shot. Ben Stiller directs; Jessica Lee Gage is the Dp who brings it off with seemingly effortless panache.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 6, 2020
Strong praise, then, for the seven-episode production, which originally aired...
- 9/6/2020
- by Jessica James
- We Got This Covered
AFI Fest said Friday that I Am Not Alone, Garin Hovannisian’s documentary about the 2018 Armenian revolution, won this year’s feature film Audience Award, topping the list of prizes given for the annual festival that wrapped its run last night in Hollywood.
The festival also said today that it will hold its 2020 edition next October 15-22.
Among the winners unveiled today were Sonia K. Hadad’s Exam, which took the Grand Jury Prize in the Live Action Short category, while Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s Something to Remember won the Grand Jury Prize for Animated Short. The wins make both films Oscar-eligible in those categories.
The festival’s documentary competition resulted in a tie, with Grand Jury prizes going to Sophia Nahil Allison’s A Love Song for Latasha and Elivia Shaw’s The Clinic.
Here’s the list of winners:
Audience Award – Feature
I Am Not Alone
(Dir...
The festival also said today that it will hold its 2020 edition next October 15-22.
Among the winners unveiled today were Sonia K. Hadad’s Exam, which took the Grand Jury Prize in the Live Action Short category, while Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s Something to Remember won the Grand Jury Prize for Animated Short. The wins make both films Oscar-eligible in those categories.
The festival’s documentary competition resulted in a tie, with Grand Jury prizes going to Sophia Nahil Allison’s A Love Song for Latasha and Elivia Shaw’s The Clinic.
Here’s the list of winners:
Audience Award – Feature
I Am Not Alone
(Dir...
- 11/22/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The 71st Emmy Awards are in the books, with Amazon’s “Fleabag” knocking off perennial winner “Veep” to become TV’s top comedy — among Television Academy voters, at least. “Game of Thrones” didn’t let the same happen in drama.
Amazon’s Prime Video started the night off on a real hot streak, winning the first four awards of the evening — two apiece for “Fleabag” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — and five out of the initial six.
All told, HBO won nine trophies tonight, Amazon claimed seven, and Netflix took home four. See all of Sunday’s winners and nominees below.
Also Read: 'Pose' Star Billy Porter Makes History Winning Lead Actor in a Drama Emmy: 'The Category Is Love'
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Carrigan, Barry • HBO
Stephen Root, Barry • HBO
Henry Winkler, Barry • HBO
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method • Netflix
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel...
Amazon’s Prime Video started the night off on a real hot streak, winning the first four awards of the evening — two apiece for “Fleabag” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — and five out of the initial six.
All told, HBO won nine trophies tonight, Amazon claimed seven, and Netflix took home four. See all of Sunday’s winners and nominees below.
Also Read: 'Pose' Star Billy Porter Makes History Winning Lead Actor in a Drama Emmy: 'The Category Is Love'
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Carrigan, Barry • HBO
Stephen Root, Barry • HBO
Henry Winkler, Barry • HBO
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method • Netflix
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel...
- 9/23/2019
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Ava DuVernay (“When They See Us”), David Mandel (“Veep”) and Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) were among those honored at the Television Academy’s Emmy nominees writers reception on Tuesday night in North Hollywood.
There, ceremony hosts, “Escape at Dannemora” star Eric Lange and “Veep’s” Sam Richardson, kept the show moving by tossing in jokes between introductions as the writers from each Emmy-nominated show posed for photographs on stage. The two stars seemed especially excited to introduce the masterminds behind their own shows. Lange’s “Escape at Dannemora” writers Brett Johnson and Jerry Stahl accepted praise for their two nominations, while Richardson claimed it was a “privilege and honor” to introduce “Veep” showrunner Mandel to the crowd.
DuVernay briefly posed for photos as she accepted the honor for writing episode four of “When They See Us.” The series itself earned 16 Emmy nominations in total, the...
There, ceremony hosts, “Escape at Dannemora” star Eric Lange and “Veep’s” Sam Richardson, kept the show moving by tossing in jokes between introductions as the writers from each Emmy-nominated show posed for photographs on stage. The two stars seemed especially excited to introduce the masterminds behind their own shows. Lange’s “Escape at Dannemora” writers Brett Johnson and Jerry Stahl accepted praise for their two nominations, while Richardson claimed it was a “privilege and honor” to introduce “Veep” showrunner Mandel to the crowd.
DuVernay briefly posed for photos as she accepted the honor for writing episode four of “When They See Us.” The series itself earned 16 Emmy nominations in total, the...
- 9/12/2019
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
You’ve probably seen some of Craig Mazin‘s films even if you haven’t realized it. The screenwriter was behind “The Hangover Part II” (2011), “The Hangover Part III” (2013), “Identity Thief” (2013) and “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” (2016). All of his screen credits, in fact, had have been in film until now. He made his big television debut with the HBO miniseries “Chernobyl,” chronicling the 1986 nuclear plant disaster in northern Ukrainian Ssr, and is currently the odds-on favorite to win the Best Limited Series/TV Movie Writing Emmy.
Since this is a real event that had such wide-ranging effects, getting the facts straight is of the utmost importance, but “Chernobyl” thrives in its balance between factual evidence and emotional beats. And these beats aren’t only prompted by the show’s striking visual presentation, but by its depiction of the disaster’s long-lasting implications and its character-driven nature. For instance, by...
Since this is a real event that had such wide-ranging effects, getting the facts straight is of the utmost importance, but “Chernobyl” thrives in its balance between factual evidence and emotional beats. And these beats aren’t only prompted by the show’s striking visual presentation, but by its depiction of the disaster’s long-lasting implications and its character-driven nature. For instance, by...
- 9/7/2019
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
When “Escape at Dannemora” writers and creators Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin first approached Ben Stiller about making a limited series about the 2015 headline-grabbing prison escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, the director was unable to commit to the project.
“I ultimately said no because I didn’t have enough of a grasp on it from knowing what really happened,” said Stiller, when he was a guest on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. That changed when the state’s Inspector General report came out a few months later, which the director saw as the exact source material he felt the project needed. “That was our way into it and I called them up and said if they still wanted a director, why don’t we approach it this way?”
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to the Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast
For Stiller, authenticity was vital to this project,...
“I ultimately said no because I didn’t have enough of a grasp on it from knowing what really happened,” said Stiller, when he was a guest on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. That changed when the state’s Inspector General report came out a few months later, which the director saw as the exact source material he felt the project needed. “That was our way into it and I called them up and said if they still wanted a director, why don’t we approach it this way?”
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to the Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast
For Stiller, authenticity was vital to this project,...
- 8/29/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
It always helps to know someone when you’re breaking into showbiz, and a familial connection to Pink Floyd led British-born Edward Shearmur to work with the late two-time Oscar nominated composer Michael Kamen, known for such scores as Brazil and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Handling a variety of tasks for more than a decade for Kamen, one of the takeaways for Shearmur was his mentor’s ability to improvise music literally on the stand before a live orchestra, giving prompt directions to each section of brass, percussion, woodwind, etc and weaving them all together.
It’s a talent that Shearmur literally used while he was writing the score to the Showtime Ben Stiller-directed limited series Escape at Dannemora. After getting a note from Stiller while he was on a plane, Shearmur literally wrote a piece of music while he had an orchestra at his disposal in a Nashville,...
Handling a variety of tasks for more than a decade for Kamen, one of the takeaways for Shearmur was his mentor’s ability to improvise music literally on the stand before a live orchestra, giving prompt directions to each section of brass, percussion, woodwind, etc and weaving them all together.
It’s a talent that Shearmur literally used while he was writing the score to the Showtime Ben Stiller-directed limited series Escape at Dannemora. After getting a note from Stiller while he was on a plane, Shearmur literally wrote a piece of music while he had an orchestra at his disposal in a Nashville,...
- 8/29/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
In a world filled with elections, social movements and national tragedies, how open should the doors of a writers’ room actually be? For some of this year’s Emmy-nominated shows, those doors are wide open.
Before the 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards air on Sept. 22, the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild Foundation, in partnership with Variety and Final Draft, assembled a group of nominated scribes Wednesday night for a candid discussion of their craft — including the influence that current events have on their writing.
Actor and writer Kelvin Yu moderated the panel, featuring Ava DuVernay and Michael Starrbury (“When They See Us”), Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine (“PEN15”), Bill Hader (“Barry”), Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (“Escape at Dannemora”), David Mandel (“Veep”), Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”), Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Thomas Schnauz (“Better Call Saul”), Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (“The Good Place...
Before the 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards air on Sept. 22, the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild Foundation, in partnership with Variety and Final Draft, assembled a group of nominated scribes Wednesday night for a candid discussion of their craft — including the influence that current events have on their writing.
Actor and writer Kelvin Yu moderated the panel, featuring Ava DuVernay and Michael Starrbury (“When They See Us”), Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine (“PEN15”), Bill Hader (“Barry”), Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (“Escape at Dannemora”), David Mandel (“Veep”), Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”), Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Thomas Schnauz (“Better Call Saul”), Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (“The Good Place...
- 8/23/2019
- by Dano Nissen
- Variety Film + TV
When Ben Stiller agreed to direct all eight hours of the true prison escape saga “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime), he had no idea what he was in for. The director of six movies had never helmed a mini-series or series, except for his sketch comedy “The Ben Stiller Show” in the early ’90s; he had directed one pilot (Fox’s “Heat Vision and Jack”). “It was new territory for me,” he said on the phone. “I didn’t know what it would involve.”
When Stiller read the scripts brought to him by showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (“Ray Donovan”), he knew the story had been fictionalized. “I didn’t know enough about what actually happened,” he said. “I read the Inspector General’s 160-page report and decided to start from scratch. They were my partners throughout. We’d block out what the episodes would be, but they’d have to sit down and write.
When Stiller read the scripts brought to him by showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (“Ray Donovan”), he knew the story had been fictionalized. “I didn’t know enough about what actually happened,” he said. “I read the Inspector General’s 160-page report and decided to start from scratch. They were my partners throughout. We’d block out what the episodes would be, but they’d have to sit down and write.
- 8/20/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
When Ben Stiller agreed to direct all eight hours of the true prison escape saga “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime), he had no idea what he was in for. The director of six movies had never helmed a mini-series or series, except for his sketch comedy “The Ben Stiller Show” in the early ’90s; he had directed one pilot (Fox’s “Heat Vision and Jack”). “It was new territory for me,” he said on the phone. “I didn’t know what it would involve.”
When Stiller read the scripts brought to him by showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (“Ray Donovan”), he knew the story had been fictionalized. “I didn’t know enough about what actually happened,” he said. “I read the Inspector General’s 160-page report and decided to start from scratch. They were my partners throughout. We’d block out what the episodes would be, but they’d have to sit down and write.
When Stiller read the scripts brought to him by showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (“Ray Donovan”), he knew the story had been fictionalized. “I didn’t know enough about what actually happened,” he said. “I read the Inspector General’s 160-page report and decided to start from scratch. They were my partners throughout. We’d block out what the episodes would be, but they’d have to sit down and write.
- 8/20/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
A version of this story about Ben Stiller first appeared in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWrap’s Emmy magazine.
Over the years, we’ve seen that Ben Stiller always acts in things he directs, and almost always sticks to comedy. But the limited series “Escape at Dannemora” changed that, winning Stiller an Emmy nomination and a Directors Guild Award in the process.
The seven-part, seven-and-a-half hour true-life saga about Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), a prison worker who helped two convicted murderers escape from a New York facility in 2015 is the longest thing he’s ever directed, by far the most serious and the only one in which Stiller himself never makes an appearance in front of the camera.
“I have to say, over the years I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said of the decision to only direct the miniseries about a real-life prison break,...
Over the years, we’ve seen that Ben Stiller always acts in things he directs, and almost always sticks to comedy. But the limited series “Escape at Dannemora” changed that, winning Stiller an Emmy nomination and a Directors Guild Award in the process.
The seven-part, seven-and-a-half hour true-life saga about Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), a prison worker who helped two convicted murderers escape from a New York facility in 2015 is the longest thing he’s ever directed, by far the most serious and the only one in which Stiller himself never makes an appearance in front of the camera.
“I have to say, over the years I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said of the decision to only direct the miniseries about a real-life prison break,...
- 8/15/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Last time Patricia Arquette was staring an Emmy in the face it was 2007, and she was on her second nomination for playing Allison Dubois in Medium—the pretty mom who has it all, with psychic powers to boot. What could have been a hackneyed stereotype became, in the hands of Arquette, a nuanced and moving portrait of a woman torn. She didn’t win back then, but this year she just might, with two astoundingly challenging real-life roles under her belt: abusive mom Dee Dee Blanchard in Hulu’s The Act, and dissatisfied prison worker-turned-criminal Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell in Showtime’s Escape at Dannemora.
With the two limited series shoots, and her new Netflix film Otherhood crammed into a few months, Arquette found she leaned on the network TV training she had on Medium to run that marathon. “Absolutely it prepared me for that,” she says. “I think it gives...
With the two limited series shoots, and her new Netflix film Otherhood crammed into a few months, Arquette found she leaned on the network TV training she had on Medium to run that marathon. “Absolutely it prepared me for that,” she says. “I think it gives...
- 8/14/2019
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
Television has never looked quite like this before, with so many conversation-starting, cultural narrative-altering stories that incite, invite, or ignite something in viewers. Telling tales of grounded, often tough, topics through heightened worlds is frequently a way to soften the blow of such hard-to-watch material. Viewers may be enticed by the spectacle of gimmick (as in Hulu’s “Pen15” in which adults play teenage versions of themselves); the allure of a simpler time (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” from Amazon Prime Video), the desire to re-experience something with hindsight (Netflix’s “When They See Us”) or even the flash of fantasy (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”). While it can be challenging to balance serious material matter in a larger-than-life setting, the key for many of this year’s Emmy nominees in the writing and directing categories is authenticity and care in creation.
Ava DuVernay wrote and directed all four episodes of “When They See Us,...
Ava DuVernay wrote and directed all four episodes of “When They See Us,...
- 8/7/2019
- by Danielle Turchiano and Jarrett Hill
- Variety Film + TV
With a true story as unbelievable as Showtime's Escape at Dannemora, Ben Stiller wanted to leave little to the imagination. When presented with a spec script by Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, he originally turned down the project because it lacked the necessary details to tell the story of two inmates who escaped upstate New York's Clinton Correctional Facility with the help of a prison seamstress. Everything changed when New York State's inspector general released a 150-page report that provided Stiller with the particulars he needed to commit.
THR spoke with the 53-year-old executive producer/director about the ...
THR spoke with the 53-year-old executive producer/director about the ...
Over recent months, Gold Derby has hosted fascinating interviews with 194 of this year’s Emmy Awards contenders. And now with Tuesday’s announcement of 2019 nominations, we’re proud that 65 of these people are now officially nominees. Visit our Emmy Awards nominees video folder to watch these exclusive 15-20 minute chats.
And be watching over the next month as we add many more nominee interviews. Several are already being scheduled.
SEE2019 Emmy nominations complete list: All the nominees for the 71st Emmy Awards
Here is the full list of 65 nominee interviews you can now watch:
The Act — Joey King (actress)
The Amazing Race — Phil Keoghan (producer)
Barry — Anthony Carrigan (actor)
Beto Breaks The Internet — Jimmy Fallon (actor)
Better Call Saul — Giancarlo Esposito (actor), Bob Odenkirk
The Big Bang Theory — Mark Cendrowski (director)
Black-ish — Michelle Cole (costume designer)
Bodyguard — Jed Mercurio (producer)
Broad City — Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson (actresses)
Chernobyl — Jared Harris...
And be watching over the next month as we add many more nominee interviews. Several are already being scheduled.
SEE2019 Emmy nominations complete list: All the nominees for the 71st Emmy Awards
Here is the full list of 65 nominee interviews you can now watch:
The Act — Joey King (actress)
The Amazing Race — Phil Keoghan (producer)
Barry — Anthony Carrigan (actor)
Beto Breaks The Internet — Jimmy Fallon (actor)
Better Call Saul — Giancarlo Esposito (actor), Bob Odenkirk
The Big Bang Theory — Mark Cendrowski (director)
Black-ish — Michelle Cole (costume designer)
Bodyguard — Jed Mercurio (producer)
Broad City — Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson (actresses)
Chernobyl — Jared Harris...
- 7/18/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
With a total of 12 Emmy nominations, Showtime’s Escape at Dannemora has emerged as a leader in the limited series race. The show based on a real-life 2015 prison break explores the dynamics between convicts Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) and prison worker Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), who ultimately helped them escape. All three actors received nominations, along with the show itself and director Ben Stiller.
Showrunners Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin were on the Ray Donovan set in 2015 when they originally heard about the Clinton Correctional Facility in Upstate New York. “Immediately we said, ‘We’re going to make a limited series — this is a movie-star vehicle.’ We just fell head over heels in love with this story,” Johnson told Deadline after Tuesdays nominations.
When Stiller’s name came up to direct, the creators jumped at the idea. “We actually worked on it for...
Showrunners Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin were on the Ray Donovan set in 2015 when they originally heard about the Clinton Correctional Facility in Upstate New York. “Immediately we said, ‘We’re going to make a limited series — this is a movie-star vehicle.’ We just fell head over heels in love with this story,” Johnson told Deadline after Tuesdays nominations.
When Stiller’s name came up to direct, the creators jumped at the idea. “We actually worked on it for...
- 7/16/2019
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
Ben Stiller has made a career out of making people laugh in films like “Zoolander” and “Tropic Thunder,” both of which he also directed. On paper, the actor-director wouldn’t seem like the perfect fit for a limited series about a prison escape, the tone of which is serious and thrilling. Yet Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora” proves just how adept Stiller is as a director, showing off skills of which we hadn’t thought him capable. Receiving very positive acclaim from critics and audiences, “Escape at Dannemora” is seven episodes of carefully-plotted drama that rewards viewers with strong payoffs that are only earned because of the precise character work leading up to it.
SEEMark Ricker Interview: ‘Escape at Dannemora’ production designer
Stiller, who directed the entire series, trusts the audience enough to show how the events of the Clinton Correctional Facility escape happened, rather than outwardly telling. We see...
SEEMark Ricker Interview: ‘Escape at Dannemora’ production designer
Stiller, who directed the entire series, trusts the audience enough to show how the events of the Clinton Correctional Facility escape happened, rather than outwardly telling. We see...
- 6/17/2019
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Having already won a SAG Award, Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award for her role in Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora,” Patricia Arquette competes in the Emmy derby as the favorite to win Best TV Movie/Mini Actress, according to Gold Derby odds (37/10).
What makes her performance so winning is the complexity of her real-life role as Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell, a prison worker who helped inmates Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) break out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York in 2015. At various times, she’s villain, victim, vulnerable and fierce, but always a rumbling volcano that keeps TV viewers watching and waiting for her to pop.
See ‘Escape at Dannemora’ creators Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin started writing before the manhunt even ended [Exclusive Video Interview]
It’s hard to root for Tilly when we meet her as she cheats on her husband Lyle by...
What makes her performance so winning is the complexity of her real-life role as Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell, a prison worker who helped inmates Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) break out of the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York in 2015. At various times, she’s villain, victim, vulnerable and fierce, but always a rumbling volcano that keeps TV viewers watching and waiting for her to pop.
See ‘Escape at Dannemora’ creators Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin started writing before the manhunt even ended [Exclusive Video Interview]
It’s hard to root for Tilly when we meet her as she cheats on her husband Lyle by...
- 6/16/2019
- by Tom O'Neil and Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
It’s going to be hard to top Patricia Arquette’s portrayal of a woman at the center of a bizarre romantic quadrangle in the Showtime dramatic mini-series “Escape at Dannemora,” based on the real-life upstate New York prison escape of inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat in June 2015. Here are the five reasons why:
1. Serious awards cred
While the series from showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson and director Ben Stiller scored rave reviews, it also racked up surprise awards earlier in the year, going against HBO favorite “Sharp Objects.” Arquette followed up her “Boyhood” Oscar win with Golden Globe and SAG awards for “Dannemora,” and at the Critics Choice Awards, tied with “Sharp Objects” star Amy Adams.
Since then “Sharp Objects” has faded in the rear view as “Dannemora” picks up steam. Gold Derby‘s panel of experts, for example, give Arquette the edge against movie stars Adams and another Oscar-winner,...
1. Serious awards cred
While the series from showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson and director Ben Stiller scored rave reviews, it also racked up surprise awards earlier in the year, going against HBO favorite “Sharp Objects.” Arquette followed up her “Boyhood” Oscar win with Golden Globe and SAG awards for “Dannemora,” and at the Critics Choice Awards, tied with “Sharp Objects” star Amy Adams.
Since then “Sharp Objects” has faded in the rear view as “Dannemora” picks up steam. Gold Derby‘s panel of experts, for example, give Arquette the edge against movie stars Adams and another Oscar-winner,...
- 6/13/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
It’s going to be hard to top Patricia Arquette’s portrayal of a woman at the center of a bizarre romantic quadrangle in the Showtime dramatic mini-series “Escape at Dannemora,” based on the real-life upstate New York prison escape of inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat in June 2015. Here are the five reasons why:
1. Serious awards cred
While the series from showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson and director Ben Stiller scored rave reviews, it also racked up surprise awards earlier in the year, going against HBO favorite “Sharp Objects.” Arquette followed up her “Boyhood” Oscar win with Golden Globe and SAG awards for “Dannemora,” and at the Critics Choice Awards, tied with “Sharp Objects” star Amy Adams.
Since then “Sharp Objects” has faded in the rear view as “Dannemora” picks up steam. Gold Derby‘s panel of experts, for example, give Arquette the edge against movie stars Adams and another Oscar-winner,...
1. Serious awards cred
While the series from showrunners Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson and director Ben Stiller scored rave reviews, it also racked up surprise awards earlier in the year, going against HBO favorite “Sharp Objects.” Arquette followed up her “Boyhood” Oscar win with Golden Globe and SAG awards for “Dannemora,” and at the Critics Choice Awards, tied with “Sharp Objects” star Amy Adams.
Since then “Sharp Objects” has faded in the rear view as “Dannemora” picks up steam. Gold Derby‘s panel of experts, for example, give Arquette the edge against movie stars Adams and another Oscar-winner,...
- 6/13/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Brett Johnson and Oscar-nominated The Player scribe Michael Tolkin began working with each other as producer-writers on Ray Donovan and it was during that
series that they made an immediate go at adapting the true story about two inmates who escaped the maximum security Clinton Correctional facility in the quiet town of Dannemora in upstate New York. The twist? The inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat had help from a female prison worker, Joyce Tilly Mitchell, who was romantically involved with them. Johnson and Tolkin’s script would become the limited Showtime series Escape at Dannemora. Ben Stiller initially was attracted to the project, backed away, and then became intrigued again when the New York State Office of the Inspector General issued this 150 page report dissecting the prison break and aftermath. The human relationships combined with a prison break in this digital age were all too fascinating. Patricia Arquette took...
series that they made an immediate go at adapting the true story about two inmates who escaped the maximum security Clinton Correctional facility in the quiet town of Dannemora in upstate New York. The twist? The inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat had help from a female prison worker, Joyce Tilly Mitchell, who was romantically involved with them. Johnson and Tolkin’s script would become the limited Showtime series Escape at Dannemora. Ben Stiller initially was attracted to the project, backed away, and then became intrigued again when the New York State Office of the Inspector General issued this 150 page report dissecting the prison break and aftermath. The human relationships combined with a prison break in this digital age were all too fascinating. Patricia Arquette took...
- 6/13/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Patricia Arquette (“Escape at Dannemora”) will win the Emmy for Best Movie/Mini Actress according to almost half of the Expert journalists we’ve polled from top media outlets. She won Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and SAG Awards for her performance as a real-life prison employee who aids an escape. But are we underestimating Benicio Del Toro for Best Movie/Mini Actor as escapee Richard Matt? One Expert thinks so.
Based on the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby readers, Del Toro ranks fourth in the race with 6/1 odds. He currently trails front-runner Mahershala Ali (“True Detective”) as well as Sam Rockwell (“Fosse/Verdon”) and Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”). But as of this writing Anne Thompson (IndieWire) says Del Toro will prevail. Do you think she’s onto something?
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Emmy voters often love Oscar winning movie stars like...
Based on the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby readers, Del Toro ranks fourth in the race with 6/1 odds. He currently trails front-runner Mahershala Ali (“True Detective”) as well as Sam Rockwell (“Fosse/Verdon”) and Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”). But as of this writing Anne Thompson (IndieWire) says Del Toro will prevail. Do you think she’s onto something?
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Emmy voters often love Oscar winning movie stars like...
- 6/11/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“That was just a lot of physical fun that you don’t normally have the opportunity to do,” Eric Lange reveals about gaining and losing 37 pounds while shooting “Escape at Dannemora” to play his character at different points in his life. The actor makes sure to add in his exclusive interview with Gold Derby (watch the video above), “In terms of your health, it’s a horrible idea and I’m not recommending it to anyone.” Lange portrays Lyle Mitchell, the real-life husband of Patricia Arquette‘s character Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell, who is currently serving time in connection with the 2015 jailbreak upon which the Ben Stiller-directed miniseries for Showtime is based. Lange recounts that after being cast without any expectation of gaining weight, “Ben suggested it because I was pretty lean when we started.” The initial plan was 10 to 15 pounds extra for the 2015-set episodes, but Lange says, “I...
- 6/11/2019
- by Riley Chow
- Gold Derby
Writers get writer’s block. And designers get designer’s block. So how do some of the top TV production designers overcome it when they have a gajillion sets to create?
“I don’t know, I’m having a block right now!” Mark Ricker (“Escape at Dannemora”) laughs during Gold Derby’s Meet the Btl Experts: Production Design panel, moderated by this author (watch above).
For “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” production designer Joe O’Neil, he goes back to the start to get new ideas percolating. “I always go back to the research, back to the source material and bounce ideas off of other people,” he shares. “As things iterate, you get further in the process and you have to adjust things or cut things for budget reasons or whatever. The better solution is usually the simpler solution at the end of the day.”
See ‘Escape at Dannemora...
“I don’t know, I’m having a block right now!” Mark Ricker (“Escape at Dannemora”) laughs during Gold Derby’s Meet the Btl Experts: Production Design panel, moderated by this author (watch above).
For “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” production designer Joe O’Neil, he goes back to the start to get new ideas percolating. “I always go back to the research, back to the source material and bounce ideas off of other people,” he shares. “As things iterate, you get further in the process and you have to adjust things or cut things for budget reasons or whatever. The better solution is usually the simpler solution at the end of the day.”
See ‘Escape at Dannemora...
- 6/7/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Television’s fascination with crime stories dates back decades, but in order to capture an audience’s attention today, when it is pulled in multiple directions by 500 scripted series alone, a deeper dive inside the mind of those who do wrong has proven to be a recipe for successful storytelling. More specifically, there has been an uptick in digging into the psychology of female culpability and full-on criminology through limited series such as “Escape at Dannemora,” “Sharp Objects” and “The Act.”
“You want to create characters that are just mesmerizing — that are so complicated and alive and credible that you find yourself identifying with them and then are thrilled to go through those emotions without having to do that in your own life,” says Michael Tolkin, executive producer of “Escape at Dannemora.”
While “Escape at Dannemora” told the true story of a prison break, much of the story was seen...
“You want to create characters that are just mesmerizing — that are so complicated and alive and credible that you find yourself identifying with them and then are thrilled to go through those emotions without having to do that in your own life,” says Michael Tolkin, executive producer of “Escape at Dannemora.”
While “Escape at Dannemora” told the true story of a prison break, much of the story was seen...
- 6/6/2019
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
After earning double-digit Emmy nominations last year (thanks in part to one-and-done programs “Patrick Melrose” and “Twin Peaks”), Showtime is hoping that its current crop of new and returning shows will strike gold with TV academy members. The pay cable network has shipped off its 2019 Emmy Fyc mailer to voters, with some of its hottest new properties being limited series “Escape at Dannemora” and comedy series “Black Monday” and “Kidding.” Scroll down to find out what specific episodes of each Showtime program are being watched by Emmy voters as we speak.
SEEEmmys 2019 exclusive: Showtime categories for ‘Escape at Dannemora,’ ‘Black Monday,’ ‘Kidding’ and more
“Escape at Dannemora” dominated early precursor awards, winning Best Limited Series Actress for Patricia Arquette at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and SAG Awards. The Ben Stiller-directed prison break program is now a front-runner to claim Best Limited Series at the Emmys, with lead actor...
SEEEmmys 2019 exclusive: Showtime categories for ‘Escape at Dannemora,’ ‘Black Monday,’ ‘Kidding’ and more
“Escape at Dannemora” dominated early precursor awards, winning Best Limited Series Actress for Patricia Arquette at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and SAG Awards. The Ben Stiller-directed prison break program is now a front-runner to claim Best Limited Series at the Emmys, with lead actor...
- 6/6/2019
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Mark Ricker was literally in a prison of his own making. To tell the story of Richard Matt’s (Benicio Del Toro) and David Sweat’s (Paul Dano) infamous escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility in June 2015 on Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora,” the production designer was tasked with replicating the prison as accurately as possible. After he signed on, “the next thing I know, I’m spending time in a prison for a year and a half,” Ricker quipped at Gold Derby’s Meet the Btl Experts: Production Design panel, moderated by this author (watch above).
But Ricker, a former Emmy nominee for “You Don’t Know Jack,” and the entire “Dannemora” team, led by director Ben Stiller, nearly didn’t get a chance to go inside the real thing until weeks from production was set to commence. The New York Department of Corrections “wanted nothing to do with us” because,...
But Ricker, a former Emmy nominee for “You Don’t Know Jack,” and the entire “Dannemora” team, led by director Ben Stiller, nearly didn’t get a chance to go inside the real thing until weeks from production was set to commence. The New York Department of Corrections “wanted nothing to do with us” because,...
- 6/6/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
“It was this amazing, insane story … Immediately we started spitballing, and before they were caught or captured we already had an outline for the entire limited series,” reveals Brett Johnson about how he and co-creator Michael Tolkin conceived of “Escape at Dannemora” while the real events were still unfolding. The seven-part Showtime drama recounts the 2015 prison escape by Richard Matt and David Sweat with the help of prison worker Joyce Mitchell. Watch our exclusive video interview with Johnson and Tolkin above.
“The great thing about limited series television is that it’s so novelistic. You can go deep into something, and you can end,” says Tolkin. That’s part of what drew him to this story and this format. He has a background as a novelist in addition to his Oscar-nominated (“The Player”) and Emmy-nominated (“The Burning Season”) screenwriting. “It’s very exciting telling a story with such rich characters...
“The great thing about limited series television is that it’s so novelistic. You can go deep into something, and you can end,” says Tolkin. That’s part of what drew him to this story and this format. He has a background as a novelist in addition to his Oscar-nominated (“The Player”) and Emmy-nominated (“The Burning Season”) screenwriting. “It’s very exciting telling a story with such rich characters...
- 5/2/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
In 2016, the first season of Ryan Murphy’s “American Crime Story,” about the arrest and trial of O.J. Simpson, swept the Emmys’ limited-series categories, sparking a revival in mainstream interest in both the Simpson case and the true-crime genre. Ever since then, crime stories — American and otherwise — have been multiplying. It’s a boom that’s turning this year’s Emmy race into a digest of recent history.
Connie Britton was a Golden Globe nominee for Bravo’s “Dirty John,” adapted from a Los Angeles Times story and podcast about one woman’s encounter with a devious criminal. Patricia Arquette earned Globe and SAG honors for her role as a real-life prison employee who assisted in a breakout in Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora.” Making her a possible double Emmy nominee for roles taken luridly from life, Arquette currently plays a mother eventually killed by the daughter she torments in Hulu’s “The Act.
Connie Britton was a Golden Globe nominee for Bravo’s “Dirty John,” adapted from a Los Angeles Times story and podcast about one woman’s encounter with a devious criminal. Patricia Arquette earned Globe and SAG honors for her role as a real-life prison employee who assisted in a breakout in Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora.” Making her a possible double Emmy nominee for roles taken luridly from life, Arquette currently plays a mother eventually killed by the daughter she torments in Hulu’s “The Act.
- 4/24/2019
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Showtime’s limited series “Escape at Dannemora” focuses on real-life escaped convicts Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) and the prison worker who aided their escape, Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell (Patricia Arquette). But when you have a pair of hardened criminals and the woman who is carrying on an affair with both of them, it’s hard to figure out who the viewers should be rooting for.
That’s where Lyle Mitchell, the unaware husband of Joyce, comes in. “He’s very much a sympathetic character in the show,” Eric Lange, who plays Lyle, tells TheWrap, describing him as the “human cost of this tabloid-sensationalized thing.”
Lyle was one of the people involved in the ordeal who the show’s producers never got to speak with, co-showrunners Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin had previously told TheWrap. Which makes sense. After all, would you want to speak about...
That’s where Lyle Mitchell, the unaware husband of Joyce, comes in. “He’s very much a sympathetic character in the show,” Eric Lange, who plays Lyle, tells TheWrap, describing him as the “human cost of this tabloid-sensationalized thing.”
Lyle was one of the people involved in the ordeal who the show’s producers never got to speak with, co-showrunners Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin had previously told TheWrap. Which makes sense. After all, would you want to speak about...
- 12/7/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
(Warning: This story contains spoilers from the second episode of Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora”)
Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin never strayed too far from the real-life events for Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora,” which tells the story of Richard Matt and David Sweat’s breakout from a New York state prison in 2015.
But a couple of scenes in the second episode of the series shows Matt (Benicio del Toro) painting a portrait of then-presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, complete with a photo of her in his jail cell. So, we asked Johnson and Tolkin if that was indeed true. Did Matt, who had a hobby of painting celebrities and political figures while incarcerated, actually have a photo of Clinton in his cell?
The answer is yes … and no.
Also Read: 'Escape at Dannemora': Co-Creators Went 'Through the Looking Glass' to Research Prison Break Drama
“It’s not a real story,...
Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin never strayed too far from the real-life events for Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora,” which tells the story of Richard Matt and David Sweat’s breakout from a New York state prison in 2015.
But a couple of scenes in the second episode of the series shows Matt (Benicio del Toro) painting a portrait of then-presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, complete with a photo of her in his jail cell. So, we asked Johnson and Tolkin if that was indeed true. Did Matt, who had a hobby of painting celebrities and political figures while incarcerated, actually have a photo of Clinton in his cell?
The answer is yes … and no.
Also Read: 'Escape at Dannemora': Co-Creators Went 'Through the Looking Glass' to Research Prison Break Drama
“It’s not a real story,...
- 11/26/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Sometimes, when one franchise closes, a limited series opens. So it goes with “Escape at Dannemora,” Ben Stiller’s seven-part Showtime drama that premiered last Sunday night. The series follows the trio at the center of the saga: the two inmates (played by Paul Dano and Benicio del Toro) who escaped Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015 and Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), the prison labor supervisor who was involved with both of them.
In an interview on The Watch podcast with hosts Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald, Stiller explained that one of his recent career misfires gave him and writers Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin the chance to give the project the attention it deserved.
“‘Zoolander 2’ was not a big hit,” Stiller conceded. “When the Inspector General report came out, I didn’t have a lot going on. I had the time to work on this with the guys and to...
In an interview on The Watch podcast with hosts Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald, Stiller explained that one of his recent career misfires gave him and writers Brett Johnson & Michael Tolkin the chance to give the project the attention it deserved.
“‘Zoolander 2’ was not a big hit,” Stiller conceded. “When the Inspector General report came out, I didn’t have a lot going on. I had the time to work on this with the guys and to...
- 11/20/2018
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Network: Showtime.
Episodes: Ongoing (hour).
Seasons: Ongoing.
TV show dates: November 18, 2018 — present.
Series status: Has not been cancelled.
Performers include: Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Eric Lange, Bonnie Hunt, and David Morse.
TV show description:
From creators Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, and director Ben Stiller, the Escape at Dannemora TV show is based on a 2015 real-life prison break from the Clinton Correctional Facility, in the village of Dannemora, New York. The events surrounding the escape, and ensuing manhunt, received a lot of media attention at the time. Some of its notoriety was due to the involvement of a married female prison employee, who was alleged to have had affairs with both of the...
Episodes: Ongoing (hour).
Seasons: Ongoing.
TV show dates: November 18, 2018 — present.
Series status: Has not been cancelled.
Performers include: Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Eric Lange, Bonnie Hunt, and David Morse.
TV show description:
From creators Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, and director Ben Stiller, the Escape at Dannemora TV show is based on a 2015 real-life prison break from the Clinton Correctional Facility, in the village of Dannemora, New York. The events surrounding the escape, and ensuing manhunt, received a lot of media attention at the time. Some of its notoriety was due to the involvement of a married female prison employee, who was alleged to have had affairs with both of the...
- 11/19/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
There is age-old adage that “truth is stranger than fiction,” which can definitely can be said about Showtime’s upcoming limited series, “Escape at Dannemora.”
But when trying to craft a scripted narrative from real-life events often finds the writers and directors behind it take creative liberties for dramatic effect (as critics of the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” can attest to). But for Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, who co-created the Showtime series that is based on a famous 2015 prison break, they didn’t have to veer too far from the real-life events.
“Once you get into the reality of the story, the pieces are just more fascinating than fiction can deliver sometimes,” Tolkin told TheWrap. “We definitely researched it a lot… Sometimes through the looking glass, in terms of research,” added Johnson.
Also Read: Showtime Launches Companion Podcast for Limited Series 'Escape at Dannemora' (Exclusive)
The limited series, which...
But when trying to craft a scripted narrative from real-life events often finds the writers and directors behind it take creative liberties for dramatic effect (as critics of the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” can attest to). But for Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, who co-created the Showtime series that is based on a famous 2015 prison break, they didn’t have to veer too far from the real-life events.
“Once you get into the reality of the story, the pieces are just more fascinating than fiction can deliver sometimes,” Tolkin told TheWrap. “We definitely researched it a lot… Sometimes through the looking glass, in terms of research,” added Johnson.
Also Read: Showtime Launches Companion Podcast for Limited Series 'Escape at Dannemora' (Exclusive)
The limited series, which...
- 11/16/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
In the summer of 2017, just weeks before Ben Stiller was scheduled to start filming Showtime’s limited series “Escape at Dannemora,” the director had a serious dilemma: He had nowhere to shoot the prison scenes.
For months, Stiller, who also serves as executive producer, and the “Dannemora” production team had been trying to gain access to New York’s largest maximum-security prison — the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. Stiller wanted to shoot within and around the facility, which holds approximately 2,500 male inmates, but the organization that manages and operates the state’s prisons, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, wasn’t biting.
But Stiller wasn’t taking no for an answer. The director was adamant about filming on the grounds and for good reason: The majority of “Dannemora,” the true story of Richard Matt and David Sweat’s prison break that was being adapted into an eight-part limited series,...
For months, Stiller, who also serves as executive producer, and the “Dannemora” production team had been trying to gain access to New York’s largest maximum-security prison — the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. Stiller wanted to shoot within and around the facility, which holds approximately 2,500 male inmates, but the organization that manages and operates the state’s prisons, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, wasn’t biting.
But Stiller wasn’t taking no for an answer. The director was adamant about filming on the grounds and for good reason: The majority of “Dannemora,” the true story of Richard Matt and David Sweat’s prison break that was being adapted into an eight-part limited series,...
- 11/15/2018
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Richard Matt and David Sweat’s 2015 upstate New York prison break was compared to The Shawshank Redemption because the duo cut through the walls of their cells and took a long tunnel to freedom. But if their methods were cinematic, their personalities — and that of Joyce “Tilly” Mitchell, the prison employee who helped them — were far from it, which presents a stumbling block for Showtime’s otherwise entertaining Escape at Dannemora. The seven-part miniseries — it debuts on Nov. 18th — has abundant talent in front of the camera and behind it.
- 11/14/2018
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
When we meet Joyce Mitchell, she’s at a low moment, being questioned about her role in a prison breakout. She’s combative, bristling and insistent on being called by her nickname, Tilly, and evidently dissembling under the gaze of the state’s inspector general (Bonnie Hunt). When we shift back in time to see how her troubles began, there’s no discontinuity or rupture; the character we’ve met under duress lives her life in a state of simmering rage. It’s a credit to Patricia Arquette’s performance, and to “Escape at Dannemora,” that Tilly feels as credible as the real person she is; Arquette makes “Dannemora” worth sticking with even as the show’s running time grows punishing.
The Dannemora breakout — the 2015 escape of two inmates from a maximum-security facility in New York in which the actual Tilly Mitchell was convicted for her role — is elementally fascinating.
The Dannemora breakout — the 2015 escape of two inmates from a maximum-security facility in New York in which the actual Tilly Mitchell was convicted for her role — is elementally fascinating.
- 11/13/2018
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Stiller and Patricia Arquette were co-stars in David O. Russell’s 1996 “Flirting With Disaster.” At the time, Stiller’s directing career limited to “The Ben Stiller Show” and “Reality Bites;” his now-cult favorite “The Cable Guy” was about to flop. Arquette was a burgeoning star and indie film darling thanks to her work in “True Romance” and “Ed Wood,” but she had yet to snag her Oscar, let alone the preceding Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.
Now the two are reinventing themselves, again. Each transform for the viewer in real time — figuratively for Stiller, quite literally with Arquette — in “Escape at Dannemora,” Showtime’s seven-part limited series about two inmates breaking out of the Clinton Correctional facility in 2015 and the woman who helped them do it. It’s Stiller’s first real drama as a director, and he’s created a thriller with the cold, blue look and feel...
Now the two are reinventing themselves, again. Each transform for the viewer in real time — figuratively for Stiller, quite literally with Arquette — in “Escape at Dannemora,” Showtime’s seven-part limited series about two inmates breaking out of the Clinton Correctional facility in 2015 and the woman who helped them do it. It’s Stiller’s first real drama as a director, and he’s created a thriller with the cold, blue look and feel...
- 11/13/2018
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Showtime is launching a companion podcast for its upcoming limited series from Ben Stiller, “Escape at Dannemora,” that will delve into the real-life events that inspired the drama.
The limited series, which is directed and executive produced by Stiller, is based on the 2015 prison break from Clinton Correctional Facility. Two escapees — both convicted murderers — broke out of the Upstate New York facility, aided by a married female prison employee who reportedly carried on affairs with both men while supervising them in the tailor shop. It spawned the largest manhunt in the history of New York State.
The podcast, which is produced by Wondery’s Real Crime Profile, will dive deeper into the real-life events and feature interviews with cast-members, real people involved in the case and the creators.
Also Read: Seth MacFarlane, Sienna Miller Among 4 New Additions to Showtime's Roger Ailes Miniseries
The first two episodes feature interviews with executive...
The limited series, which is directed and executive produced by Stiller, is based on the 2015 prison break from Clinton Correctional Facility. Two escapees — both convicted murderers — broke out of the Upstate New York facility, aided by a married female prison employee who reportedly carried on affairs with both men while supervising them in the tailor shop. It spawned the largest manhunt in the history of New York State.
The podcast, which is produced by Wondery’s Real Crime Profile, will dive deeper into the real-life events and feature interviews with cast-members, real people involved in the case and the creators.
Also Read: Seth MacFarlane, Sienna Miller Among 4 New Additions to Showtime's Roger Ailes Miniseries
The first two episodes feature interviews with executive...
- 11/6/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
The jailbreak drama inspired by real-life events is produced by Showtime and handled internationally by CBS Studios.
Us actor and director Ben Stiller touched down at Mipcom on Monday evening (Oct 15) to unveil the first episode of his upcoming drama series Escape At Dannemora on the big screen in Cannes Palais des Festivals.
“This is sort of a dream for me to see that on a big screen because we always thought of it pretty cinematically so it’s exciting to see it that size,” said Stiller, who takes executive producer and director credits on the series, produced by Showtime...
Us actor and director Ben Stiller touched down at Mipcom on Monday evening (Oct 15) to unveil the first episode of his upcoming drama series Escape At Dannemora on the big screen in Cannes Palais des Festivals.
“This is sort of a dream for me to see that on a big screen because we always thought of it pretty cinematically so it’s exciting to see it that size,” said Stiller, who takes executive producer and director credits on the series, produced by Showtime...
- 10/16/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Cannes — Showtime’s limited series “Escape at Dannemora” marks a departure for Ben Stiller as a director, by design as he tackled eight hours of the stranger-than-fiction story of the 2015 prison break in upstate New York that led to a three-week manhunt.
During a Q&A after Monday’s world premiere screening of “Dannemora” at Mipcom, Stiller said he sought to evoke the gritty tension of some of his favorite 1970s crime dramas a la “Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” and “Straight Time.” The drama starring Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano, revolves around two inmates who hacked their way of a prison in Dannemora, N.Y., with help from a female prison official who had a sexual relationship with both men.
“I was taken by the combination of elements in it,” Stiller said of the series that bows Nov. 18. “It wasn’t just a genre piece.
During a Q&A after Monday’s world premiere screening of “Dannemora” at Mipcom, Stiller said he sought to evoke the gritty tension of some of his favorite 1970s crime dramas a la “Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” and “Straight Time.” The drama starring Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano, revolves around two inmates who hacked their way of a prison in Dannemora, N.Y., with help from a female prison official who had a sexual relationship with both men.
“I was taken by the combination of elements in it,” Stiller said of the series that bows Nov. 18. “It wasn’t just a genre piece.
- 10/15/2018
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Stiller on Monday night premiered his Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora in Cannes.
But that was before the Zoolander star revealed he initially didn't want to direct the jailbreak drama based on a real-life 2015 prison escape by murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat, who were on the lam in upstate New York after becoming romantically involved with prison guard Joyce Mitchell.
The eight-parter, which stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano, was written by Brett Johnson (Mad Men) and Michael Tolkin (The Player). Stiller told a Palais des Festivals audience during a Q&A after ...
But that was before the Zoolander star revealed he initially didn't want to direct the jailbreak drama based on a real-life 2015 prison escape by murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat, who were on the lam in upstate New York after becoming romantically involved with prison guard Joyce Mitchell.
The eight-parter, which stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano, was written by Brett Johnson (Mad Men) and Michael Tolkin (The Player). Stiller told a Palais des Festivals audience during a Q&A after ...
- 10/15/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ben Stiller will be in Cannes in October for the world-premiere screening of his Showtime series “Escape at Dannemora.” The series will be showcased on the first day of Mipcom, the biggest event on the international TV calendar.
Stiller directed and executive-produced “Escape at Dannemora,” which stars Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic”), Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”), Paul Dano (“There Will Be Blood”) and Bonnie Hunt (“Life With Bonnie”). Michael Imperioli has a guest starring role.
The series is based on a real-life 2015 prison break in upstate New York that saw two convicts escape with the help of a married female prison employee, with whom they both became romantically entangled.
The series is written by Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, who were writers on Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.” Both will exec-produce with Stiller, Bryan Zuriff, Michael De Luca though his Michael De Luca Productions and Nicky Weinstock for Red Hour Productions.
CBS Studios International...
Stiller directed and executive-produced “Escape at Dannemora,” which stars Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic”), Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”), Paul Dano (“There Will Be Blood”) and Bonnie Hunt (“Life With Bonnie”). Michael Imperioli has a guest starring role.
The series is based on a real-life 2015 prison break in upstate New York that saw two convicts escape with the help of a married female prison employee, with whom they both became romantically entangled.
The series is written by Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, who were writers on Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.” Both will exec-produce with Stiller, Bryan Zuriff, Michael De Luca though his Michael De Luca Productions and Nicky Weinstock for Red Hour Productions.
CBS Studios International...
- 7/24/2018
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Showtime drama Escape at Dannemora is set to have its world premiere at Mipcom in October with exec producer and director Ben Stiller attending the event in Cannes.
The eight-part prison break drama, which is set to air on the premium cable network later this year, will launch at the French confab on Monday October 15.
Escape At Dannemora stars Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano. It is based on the headline-making true story of a 2015 prison break in upstate New York, which spawned a massive manhunt for convicted murderers Richard Matt (Del Toro) and David Sweat (Dano). The pair were aided in their escape by married female prison worker, Tilly Mitchell (Arquette), with whom they both became sexually entangled.
Stiller will direct all eight episodes of the series, which is written and executive produced by Brett Johnson (Mad Men) and Michael Tolkin (The Player). Also executive producing are Ray Donovan‘s Bryan Zuriff,...
The eight-part prison break drama, which is set to air on the premium cable network later this year, will launch at the French confab on Monday October 15.
Escape At Dannemora stars Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano. It is based on the headline-making true story of a 2015 prison break in upstate New York, which spawned a massive manhunt for convicted murderers Richard Matt (Del Toro) and David Sweat (Dano). The pair were aided in their escape by married female prison worker, Tilly Mitchell (Arquette), with whom they both became sexually entangled.
Stiller will direct all eight episodes of the series, which is written and executive produced by Brett Johnson (Mad Men) and Michael Tolkin (The Player). Also executive producing are Ray Donovan‘s Bryan Zuriff,...
- 7/24/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
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