A revealing new documentary series about the New England Patriots during the Bill Belichick era features player interviews that shocked the series’ director for their honesty.
“There were three or four times — both in the Danny Amendola interview and in the Rob Gronkowski interview — where I couldn’t believe how forthright and how much they were willing to reveal and how much they were willing to talk about,” filmmaker Matthew Hamacheck said February 15 on WEEI’s “The Gresh & Fauria Show.”
Hamacheck’s “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” debuts the first two episodes February 16 on Apple TV+ with two more episodes dropping each Friday night through March 15.
The series delves into the Patriots’ rise to dominance under the leadership of Belichick and Tom Brady while confronting some of the darker moments in the team’s history, told by the people who witnessed it firsthand.
“I think that hearing that was the first time that I was like, Oh, wow, some of these things that have been hinted about in, you know, articles that sort of quote anonymous sources,” said Hamacheck, who also directed the Tiger Woods documentary “Tiger” in 2021. “And you can never tell is just like, you know, is this the guy who’s, like, throwing up trash in the building or is this, like, an actual source. Here we have the people who there and they are saying these things. And some of those things were just shocking to me.”
The series explores the Belichick-Brady journey through six Super Bowl victories and the controversies that ultimately led to the 2020 split between the two legends. “The Dynasty” predominantly covers the Patriots’ internal power dynamics and legendary football legacy, but devotes three of the 10 episodes to somber events such as the murder conviction of former Patriots star Aaron Hernandez.
The ‘Dynasty’ documentary had moments that even left director @hamachek shocked while filming😳
@TheRealGresh & @christianfauria discuss the series with Matthew Hamachek ahead of its premier tomorrow on @AppleTV: t.co/KOrAHeSIZT
Matthew Hamacheck Interviewed About 80 People
Based on Jeff Benedict’s book of the same name, “The Dynasty” features interviews with about 80 people. Hamacheck was granted unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, and he sifted through 35,000 hours of footage to craft a docuseries that reveals insights to pivotal moments, such as Belichick’s 2007 address to the team following the “Spygate” scandal.
That controversy, which led to league sanctions imposed on the Patriots for spying on opponents, and “Deflategate,” in which the Patriots were accused playing with under-inflated balls in the playoffs, are featured prominently in two episodes.
In a February 15 interview with DraftKings Network, Hamacheck elaborated on the honesty of his interviewees.
“And, then, you know, getting, Danny Amendola, Rob Gronkowski, Devin McCourty, all of these guys were fascinating to listen to and for them,” Hamacheck said, according to DraftKing Network’s Andy Silva. “This was stuff that had just happened to them in the last five, seven years and they were really willing to go places that I found surprising just because you know, in McCourty and Matthew Slater[‘s case] they were, they were both in the locker room while we were actually asking them these questions still. And they were so honest and so revealing about what had gone down. So, that was really surprising to me.”
Matthew Hamacheck Calls Former Patriots Staffer Ernie Adams a ‘Mystical Figure’
Former Patriots coach Ernie Adams‘ role in the Patriots’ dynasty is shrouded in mystery, and remarks from Hamachek shed light on Adams’ reluctance to divulge specific details, particularly regarding Spygate. In an appearance on “Up & Adams with Kay Adams,” Hamachek revealed Adams’ response when questioned about Spygate: “There are certain things I’ll be taking to the grave with me.”
“He’s sort of this mystical figure within New England that nobody ever gets access to…”
Matthew Hamachek on interviewing #Patriots long-time former football research director Ernie Adams.
Adams, now 70, has been a key figure behind the scenes of the Patriots’ success, with intimate knowledge of pivotal moments such as Spygate and Deflategate. His extensive involvement spans the team’s first Super Bowl victory in 2002 to Brady’s entire tenure with the organization. Despite providing 15 hours of interviews for the documentary, Adams draws a clear line regarding specific topics, signaling a steadfast commitment to confidentiality.
Hamacheck even shared a fantastic piece of B-roll footage from Adams’ driveway when the Patriots staffer was hoping to get snow for the Patriots game that day.
“The Dynasty: New England Patriots” was produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries.
One year ago this week, we filmed Ernie Adams “driving to the snow game” b-roll that airs TODAY for The Dynasty on @AppleTV.
It hadn’t snowed in months and we didn’t know how we’d make it look like it was snowing. At lunch the skies opened and I recorded this video of Ernie.
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Patriots Players’ Honesty Was ‘Just Shocking’ to Documentary Filmmaker