Sean Penn is set to direct a new film about a police officer involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Warner Bros. announced this project on Tuesday. Following his success with One Battle After Another, Penn will write and direct this upcoming, currently untitled film.
Bradley Cooper is in discussions to star in the film, although no contract has been signed yet. Both Penn and Warner Bros. representatives have remained silent on the identity of the movie’s main character. However, they have confirmed that the character is based on a real-life person.
Penn attended the 2022 House Select Committee hearings which investigated the Capitol attack. He was seated with Metropolitan Police officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges. Both officers were responders during the riot and shared their experiences at the hearings. Fanone recounted his ordeal where he was beaten, tased, and targeted with verbal abuse. He stated that the attack ceased only after he mentioned he had children, but not before he suffered a heart attack. Hodges also gave detailed testimony of his experience.
Penn, attending the hearings as a regular citizen, expressed his interest in seeing justice unfold. The film aims to explore an unexpected friendship, with production scheduled to begin mid-2027.
The film’s announcement coincided with significant news about Warner Bros. Discovery. The U.S. Justice Department recently decided not to challenge Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. This $111 billion deal, established in February, will place the Warner Bros. film studio under the leadership of David Ellison, Paramount’s CEO. Ellison, alongside his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, holds substantial connections to former President Donald Trump. David Ellison was present at a UFC event hosted at the White House last Sunday.
One Battle After Another, celebrated as a critical political film, earned an Academy Award for best picture in March. Penn received his third Oscar for his role as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw. However, he did not attend the Oscar ceremony due to his visit to Ukraine.
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