Sean Penn to direct untitled January 6 drama with Bradley Cooper in talks to star as Capitol officer
Sean Penn has written a script and will direct a fact-based film about a police officer caught up in the January 6 Capitol riot, with Bradley Cooper in negotiations for the lead role.
Project announcement
Sean Penn is moving forward with a new directorial effort, a still-untitled drama centered on the early life of a police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Bradley Cooper is in talks to star, though no deal has been finalized. Penn will produce alongside John Ira Palmer and John Wildermuth under their Projected Picture Works banner, with Warner Bros. acquiring the project in a negative pickup.
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.
Production is being targeted for mid-2027, once Cooper completes work on the upcoming Ocean's prequel with Margot Robbie. The real-life subject whose story inspired the script remains unidentified, but sources confirmed to Deadline that the film has the individual's buy-in.
A story of friendship, not insurrection
Insiders have emphasized that the film is not a direct January 6 movie. It has been described as "an unexpected story about friendship" that will function on multiple levels. The script focuses on the cop's youth and the personal journey that led to his role at the Capitol, avoiding a straightforward retelling of the riot itself.
Political and studio friction
The project lands amid a complex corporate backdrop. The U.S. Justice Department recently cleared Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount president David Ellison has cultivated ties with President Donald Trump, hosting a dinner for the Trumps in April and attending Trump's 80th birthday UFC event, which Paramount+ streamed. Penn, a vocal Trump critic, has called the president "an enemy of mankind." The pending merger raises questions about how a politically charged film from Penn will fare under new ownership, though Warner Bros. is proceeding.
- Penn attends House committee hearing on January 6 insurrection.
- Penn wins third Oscar for One Battle After Another.
- Film project announced with Bradley Cooper in talks to star.
- Production expected to begin in mid-2027.
Key figures and past work
Penn won his third Oscar in March for his supporting role in Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another," which was also produced by Warner Bros. He attended a 2022 House select committee hearing on January 6, sitting alongside officers who defended the Capitol, including Michael Fanone, who was severely beaten that day. Deadline noted a physical resemblance between Cooper and Fanone, but sources did not confirm whether Fanone is the film's subject. Cooper, a five-time Oscar nominee, most recently directed and starred in "Is This Thing On?" and is set to lead the "Ocean's Eleven" prequel.
