Oakland actor reprises role as C-Note in ‘Prison Break’ reboot.
Given television’s raging love affair with reboots, it’s no surprise that “Prison Break” has made a prime-time comeback.
Nearly eight years after it left the air, the ultimate example of escapist drama returns next week in the form of a nine-episode “event” series (9 p.m. Tuesday, Fox), and Oakland native Rockmond Dunbar is happy to be along for the ride.
Dunbar reprises his role of Benjamin Miles “C-Note” Franklin, a former inmate at Fox River State Penitentiary. In the update, he has become a Muslim and is leading a quiet life with his wife and daughter. But things get crazy when Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) asks him and other former inmates to help him spring his brother, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), from a prison in Yemen.
“He’s a little leery of going back into the past,” Dunbar says of the character. “His life is set, and he’s made some choices that are in concrete. So he really needs to make a decision how far does he want to go down this rabbit hole.”
From the start, “Prison Break” was an action-packed, turbo-charged drama, and Dunbar insists that the reboot, which was filmed in Morocco, doesn’t skimp on the fireworks.
“If you loved Seasons 1 and 2 — which I think were the best — this is its equal,” he says. “Those two seasons were sky-high levels of entertainment. It’s back full force.” See Homegrown on Page 6
“I’ve been to a lot of different countries, and everywhere I go, I get an overwhelming response of people coming up and shouting: ‘Prison Break!’ and‘ C-Note!’ ” — Rockmond Dunbar