Ben Stiller Gears Up for 'Escape at Dannemora' Filming

Ben Stiller is getting ready to start shooting his new Showtime series Escape at Dannemora!

The 51-year-old actor was spotted leaving a dinner outing with a group of friends on Friday (July 28) at The Mercer Kitchen in New York City.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Ben Stiller

Ben has been spending a lot of time scouting locations, holding casting calls, and doing research for the eight-episode prison break drama, which he will both direct and executive produce.

Escape at Dannemora is based on the real-life maximum-security prison break in New York that occurred in the summer of 2015.

“We are all very intent on trying to tell this singular story in a way that shows the reality and humanity of the people involved,” Ben has said. “While the genre is a prison escape story, at its core it is a story about real people, some criminals and some not, who make some bad choices that have huge consequences. I think that’s what’s so compelling about this.”

To see photos of Ben checking out the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, upstate New York, head to Daily Mail.