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Hudson Valley's Ben Stiller Filming Series On Murderers' NY Prison Break

Just days after a Bedford Hills inmate was denied parole for helping two murders escape from prison, actor and Chappaqua resident Ben Stiller has been seen in the area scouting locations for a Showtime series focusing on the event.

Chappaqua's Ben Stiller turns 50 on November 30.

Chappaqua's Ben Stiller turns 50 on November 30.

Photo Credit: Michael Schilling Wikimedia
Former corrections employee Joyce Mitchell was sentenced to up to seven years in prison for helping two convicted murderers escape from an upstate prison.

Former corrections employee Joyce Mitchell was sentenced to up to seven years in prison for helping two convicted murderers escape from an upstate prison.

Photo Credit: New York State Police
State police question motorists in the area of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., during their manhunt for two escaped prisoners convicted of murder.

State police question motorists in the area of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., during their manhunt for two escaped prisoners convicted of murder.

Photo Credit: New York State Police

Joyce Mitchell, 52, pleaded guilty in 2015 to smuggling the hacksaws and other tools that convicted murderers David Sweat and Richard Matt used to flee the Clinton Correctional Facility in the upstate town of Dannemora on June 5, 2015.

The two men, both convicted of murder, escaped after digging and sawing their way out of the prison.  

Mitchell, who worked at the prison, was said to have a relationship with both men. She was convicted of smuggling in the tools for their escape.  

Matt was killed by police during a search in woods 30 miles west of the prison. Sweat was shot and captured two days later in the same area.

When Stiller was in the area recently with a crew, Dannemora locals told a TV station they saw him checking out the manhole the inmates used for their escape. He was also spotted at the restaurant where Mitchell ate at before the escape.

Mitchell is not eligible for parole again until June 2019 and could remain in prison until June 8, 2022, if she is not granted early release.

The drama, "Escape from Dannemora," is slated to be directed by Stiller and star actress Patricia Arquette as Mitchell.

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