Sean Penn is slated to direct a new film focusing on a police officer who was present during the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021, Warner Bros. announced on Tuesday.
The Oscar-winning actor, fresh from his performance in One Battle After Another, will also write the script for the as-yet untitled project. Bradley Cooper is reportedly in talks to star, though a final agreement has not been reached.
Representatives for Penn and Warner Bros. did not comment on the protagonist's identity but confirmed the character is based on a real person.
Penn notably attended the 2022 House Select Committee hearings investigating the Capitol attack, where he sat with Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges, both responders to the events.
Fanone testified that he rushed to the scene and was “grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country.” The assault, which stopped only when he said he had children, caused him to have a heart attack. Hodges also testified about his harrowing experience.
At the hearings, Penn said he was attending as “just another citizen” to observe and see if justice would be served.
The film is described as being about “an unexpected friendship.” Production is expected to start mid-2027.
The movie's announcement comes just days after the U.S. Justice Department said it will not challenge Paramount Skydance's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The $111 billion deal, agreed to in February, will put the Warner Bros. film studio under the control of David Ellison, Paramount’s chief executive.
Ellison and his father, the Oracle founder Larry Ellison, have strong ties to President Donald Trump. On Sunday, Ellison attended the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House.
One Battle After Another, hailed as a timely political film, won best picture at the Academy Awards in March. Penn won his third Oscar for his racist military zealot Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, but skipped the ceremony to instead visit Ukraine.
