Ben Stiller is holding an open casting call for his upcoming TV series about an Upstate New York prison escape.
The actor-filmmaker will direct a Showtime miniseries titled “Escape at Dannemora,” based on the real-life 2015 prison escape by convicted killers Richard Matt and David Sweat from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. They were assisted by prison worker Joyce Mitchell, who got cold feet at the last minute and never showed with a getaway car, leading to a 20-day manhunt throughout the heavily wooded Adirondack Mountains that ended with Matt killed in an armed confrontation with Border Patrol agents and Sweat shot and wounded by a New York State trooper.
Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro will star as Matt, opposite Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Love & Mercy”) as Sweat, and Oscar and Emmy-winner Patricia Arquette (“Medium,” “Boyhood”) as Mitchell.
The Watertown Daily Times reports open auditions for “Escape at Dannemora” will be held July 22 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Strand Central Theatre located at 25 Brinkerhoff St. in Plattsburgh. Stiller is looking for women aged 30 to 60 and men aged 20 to 60, including for some principal roles still available.
The casting call is seeking current or retired law enforcement and corrections officer, as well as potential actors with news experience as reporters or photographers. No experience is necessary, though, and anyone can audition.
Most of the parts are likely for authorities involved in the search for Matt and Sweat, prison workers, and media that covered the weekslong manhunt. Project Casting says anyone interested should bring a current, nonreturnable photo of a headshot.
For more information on auditions, call 212-330-9357 or email [email protected].
Filming is expected to begin this year, using real locations for the eight-hour miniseries. Stiller was spotted scouting the Dannemora prison last year, eyeing the manhole from which Sweat and Matt escaped.