Sean Penn is set to direct a new film rumoured to be led by Bradley Cooper.
The film circles the early events in the life of a cop who was caught up in the January 6 Capitol storming.
Warner Bros is said to have boarded the drama.
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 three-time-Oscar-winning actor, fresh from his performance in One Battle After Another, will also write the script for the project. Bradley Cooper is reportedly in talks to star, though a final agreement has not been reached. 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. Penn said he was there to observe as “just another citizen” to see if justice would be served. “I think we all saw what happened on January 6, and now we’re looking to see if justice comes on the other side of it,” he said.
The currently untitled film will follow the life of a police officer, rumored to be Michael Fanone, who becomes caught up in the events of January 6. Warner Bros. is onboard. Fanone suffered a heart attack, burns, a traumatic brain injury, and a concussion as a result of injuries he sustained responding to the attacks. He retired from the D.C. Metropolitan Police at the end of 2021.
The project is being described by Deadline as an “unexpected story about friendship". Production is expected to start mid-2027. Cooper is also an acclaimed director, with Penn praising his work on A Star is Born. The actor most recently directed and appeared in Is This Thing On? and also starred in and directed Maestro. The latter had picked up seven Oscar nominations. Cooper and Penn previously co-starred in Anderson's 2021 comedy Licorice Pizza, though they did not share any scenes in the film. Cooper will next be heard in Bong Joon-ho’s animated adventure Ally alongside Ayo Edebiri, and will also write, direct and star in an Ocean’s Eleven prequel with Margot Robbie.
Penn made his directorial debut with 1991's The Indian Runner. He went on to direct the Jack Nicholson dramas The Crossing Guard and The Pledge as well as 2007's Into the Wild, which was nominated for two Oscars. Penn later directed 2015's The Last Face and 2021's Flag Day.
