Oscar winner Sean Penn has planned to take a closer look at the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack in a new film that is expected to be "a nightmare" for President Donald Trump, The Daily Beast reported on Tuesday.
Penn is slated to direct the untitled movie. He has spoken out against Trump, and the story will focus on a police officer "caught in the crossfire," The Beast reported. Academy Award-nominated actor Bradley Cooper is expected to star in the lead role, and the film will be produced by Warner Bros.
"Penn’s interest in writing such a narrative comes as little surprise," according to The Beast. "The One Battle After Another actor is not one to shy away from politics. And, in 2022, he attended a public hearing of the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol."
The script is based on the story of Michael Fanone, the former Capitol police officer whom Penn sat behind during the 2022 hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to investigate the attack on the Capitol, Deadline reported. It's unclear if the story is based on Fanone's life or inspired by his experiences — "the film will ultimately be a story about unexpected friendships, but will examine this theme through the lens of an officer entangled in the fateful 2021 attack, during which thousands of Trump supporters descended on the U.S. Capitol in protest of the 2020 election outcome."
Fanone is a former Trump voter who has since publicly denounced his support for the president.
"Fanone became a central figure in the aftermath of the riots, during which he was brutally assaulted by rioters," The Beast reported. "The former officer suffered a heart attack, brain injury, and burns in the wake of the attacks and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. For his response, Fanone was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by former President Joe Biden."